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Xander Bogaerts talks Roman Anthony, pressure from fans in his return to Fenway Park
"It makes you see that time flies.”
It’s only been four years since Xander Bogaerts called Fenway Park home.
But the now-Padres shortstop acknowledged on Friday that plenty has changed since the last time he stepped up to the plate at Boston’s ballpark.
“I feel like this is a whole new team that the Red Sox are compared to when I was here,” Bogaerts said. “I don’t know as many people. Most of my friends are either somewhere else or retired. It makes you see that time flies.”
Once a franchise fixture in Boston who helped the Red Sox win two Fall Classics (2013, 2018), the 33-year-old Bogaerts is now in a new chapter in his playing career.
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After putting pen to paper on an 11-year, $280 million contract with San Diego in December 2022, Bogaerts has tried to push a win-now Padres club toward its first-ever title.
“I’m in a situation now where it’s kind of like most of the years where I’ve been with the Red Sox. We want to win. And the fans, that’s what they expect,” Bogaerts said. “They want it more badly [than Red Sox fans], maybe, because the Red Sox have a lot more championships up there in the banners. Getting the city of San Diego one might be one of the most special things, for sure.”
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So far, the results have been mixed for Bogaerts and the Padres going into his fourth season in the National League.
But the veteran infielder’s role in bringing two titles to Boston over a 10-year tenure with the Red Sox did not go unnoticed on Friday during Opening Day at Fenway.
As he stepped to the plate in the top of the first inning for his at-bat as a visitor at Fenway Park, the four-time All-Star received a standing ovation from the sea of red and blue in the seats.
With Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez stepping off the plate to give Bogaerts his moment to bask in the applause, the former Red Sox shortstop saluted the home crowd — tipping his batting helmet in appreciation.
For all of the accolades — both individual and team-wide — that Bogaerts secured over his decade in a Red Sox jersey, Bogaerts acknowledged that the pressure percolating in a market like Boston is far more heightened when compared to other stops across MLB.
But that’s not always a bad thing, especially if you reach the mountaintop — as Bogaerts did on two occasions in October.
“It can be hard, I can you tell you that,” Bogaerts said. “They know you can do better, every time you’re not. They just want to see you succeed and help the team. But it can definitely be a little stressful sometimes. Expectations are always high here. It’s something that goes back so long.
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“There’s a winning culture, winning tradition. A lot of great players came through this organization. When I came up it was David and Pedroia also. There’s always just big and great players around the team. And as I said, this expectation is always high.”
Bogaerts believes those expectations now rest on the shoulders of 21-year-old Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony.
Much like Bogaerts, Anthony arrived in Boston mid-season as a heralded, blue-chip prospect who quickly wove himself into the fabric of the Red Sox’ roster.
The only difference in their respective paths to Fenway?
“He came up and got an extension right away. I can’t relate to that,” Bogaerts joked of Anthony’s eight-year, $130 million contract that he signed in August. “It probably comes with a little bit more on his shoulders. He might be the face of the team right now, right?
“With all that happened last year, he’s probably the guy, I would guess … I don’t really know the kid, but all that I know is he’s very good at baseball. He seems like a nice kid.”
The pressure is on Anthony’s shoulders this season as the tone-setter out of the leadoff spot for Boston’s lineup.
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But Bogaerts believes that youngsters with the talent — and the proper mindset — can replicate the success that he achieved in this same ballpark.
“Accountability might be the biggest one,” Bogaerts said. “In a big market like this, be respectful, be accountable.”
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