In their long history, the Red Sox have had a lot of noteworthy shortstops.
From Johnny Pesky to Rico Petrocelli to Rick Burleson to Nomar Garciaparra, there have been All-Stars and batting champions and record-setters.
But none of them can claim what Xander Bogaerts can. On Friday, Bogaerts became the franchise leader in most career games played at short, eclipsing Everett Scott with 1,094 games at the position.
That alone would have made Friday night special for Bogaerts. It's not often that you become the standard-bearer at an important position, and do it for a franchise that has a history dating back more than a century.
But this wasn't any ordinary game for Bogaerts. While he was making history, he also was helping the Red Sox to a 7-2 win over the Oakland A's. Bogaerts started the scoring for the Sox in the fourth when he belted his sixth homer of the season to left-center. Then, with the Sox' bullpen wheezing to the finish line in relief of Nate Eovaldi, Bogaerts added a two-run double in the ninth inning to provide some breathing room.
It was somehow fitting that Bogaerts set the record in the Bay Area since it was nine years ago this month when Bogaerts, barely out of his teens, made his debut for the Sox, at short, across the Bay in San Francisco against the Giants.
Naturally, that debut was on his mind today as he traveled to Oakland Coliseum for the first game of the Sox' 10-game West Coast trip. Bogaerts acknowledged after the game that he had a premonition the night might portend something big.
"It was funny,'' Bogaerts told NESN after the game, "I had a weird feeling about this the whole day. When a day is special like this, sometimes a lot of good things happen to the player. In my first at-bat, I was seeing the ball really well and I thought, 'Man, this feels a little different today. And then in my second at-bat, right away, I hit one out. This was, a little, meant to be, especially when we came back in the end, I got that big double to help us secure it a little bit. It was nice, man.
"Tonight was a really special one.''
In truth, Bogaerts has been pretty special from the start. He's been part of two world championship teams, and he's manned a demanding position for almost a decade.
Before the game, Alex Cora said that for a player to enjoy such longevity, he must be both healthy and productive. Bogaerts, of course, has been both. Cora is also fond of saying that Bogaerts is the most consistent person -- player or otherwise -- in the entire Red Sox organization, and it's hard to argue his point.
"I'm just proud of him,'' Cora told reporters after the win. "Just showing up every day, he means a lot to us, he means a lot to his teammate, he means a lot to the city of Boston. He's a humble kid from the islands, and he just wants to play baseball, I think with time, I think he's going to realize how important he is for us and for the Red Sox and actually, for baseball. He's so consistent with everything he does and I'm glad he had a great night.''
For anyone wondering whether Bogaerts was going to be distracted by his uncertain future, he's made it obvious that won't be the case. He's hitting .325 with an OPS of .886, numbers that are better than his career averages. He's made strides to improve his defense, too, and that's reflected in some defensive metrics.
He may still lack the range of some others, but with some changes to his pre-pitch set-up, he's realized some improvement, And as is the case with the most dependable of infielders, if he can get to a ball, it will likely result in an out.
"I'm blessed,'' concluded Bogaerts. "I'm blessed to be able to play baseball, and play for the Red Sox. They gave me an opportunity when I was 16 -- me and my twin brother, we signed the same day. Ever since then, I've been here. I'm happy I did really well, especially today. My whole family was probably watching at home (in Aruba). And to win? That's even better.''
When the season concludes, his career games played at shortstop will be approaching 1,200, a number that won't be eclipsed anytime soon. Whether he adds to that in 2023 and beyond will be determined by the Red Sox, who inexplicably low-balled him with an offer late in spring training.
If the Red Sox think it will be so easy to replace him, perhaps they should consider why it is that he -- and he alone -- holds the record he set Friday night.
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NOTES:
* Nathan Eovaldi didn't provide his second consecutive complete game, though around the eighth inning, Alex Cora may have wished that he had.
Eovaldi gave the Sox six shutout innings, and for just the second time this season, did not allow a home run. He struck out eight and walked just one and was in command the entire time with the exception of the fourth inning. The A's had runners at the corners with one out, but Eovaldi got a flyout and then a slow chopper to Bogaerts at short.
As he charged the ball, Bogaerts made a somewhat awkward throw that first baseman Bobby Dalbec was able to pick out of the dirt on a tough in-between hop, ending the inning and threat.
* Tyler Danish, Matt Strahm and John Schreiber each had come control issues as they attempted to take over for Eovaldi and get the final nine outs. In a hairy eighth inning, Danish walked No. 9 hitter Christian Pache and two batters later, Strahm issued a walk of his own. A two-run double from Jed Lowrie enabled Oakland to cut the Sox four-run lead in half. Eventually, Schreiber closed the inning out without any more damage, but as the Sox came to bat in the top of the ninth. Cora was forced to get Tanner Houck up for the bottom of the ninth.
That type of traditional one-inning save is not how Houck is best utilized, of course. But Cora was worried that the game was getting away.
"Where we were bullpen-wise, we've got to win games, right?'' said Cora.
When the Sox pried the game open with three more runs in the top of the ninth, he could sit Houck down and go with Ryan Brasier in a five-run game. But in a sense the damage was done, since Houck warmed up enough that he won't be available Saturday.