10 years ago, the Boston Red Sox said hello to a new face, who had just been called up from Triple-A.
The new face in question was Xander Bogaerts.
Bogaerts quickly became a star for the Red Sox and helped guide the team to a World Series title just a year after they had finished in last place in the AL East and fallen short of the postseason in three consecutive years.
As time went on, Bogaerts became a fixture in a Red Sox uniform, and he even helped them secure another title in 2018.
On Friday, the Red Sox faced Bogaerts for the first time since his departure for the San Diego Padres.
Prior to the game, MLB Network posted a video that showed the evolution of the veteran slugger and shortstop.
2x World Series champ Xander Bogaerts takes on the Red Sox for the first time as a member of the Padres! pic.twitter.com/g91tYcJXIC
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 19, 2023
The video included a few special moments from Bogaerts’ career in Boston, such as his first career hit, first career home run, 1,000th career hit, and other great moments.
Bogaerts picked up his first career hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 24, 2013.
A few weeks later, the slugger picked up his first homer against the New York Yankees.
From there, Bogaerts became a star and a favorite among Red Sox fans.
He took over the starting shortstop job for the team in 2014 and quickly endeared himself to the Fenway faithful.
Bogaerts spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Red Sox and hit for a .292 average over the course of those 10 years.
He also was a four-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger.
NEXT:
Xander Bogaerts Shares A Touching Moment With An Old Friend
