Last night’s game was pretty much a microcosm of Xander Bogaert’s 2014 struggles. In the second inning, he absolutely crushed a King Felix fastball way up and over the left field foul pole. On replays, it looked fair — of course, that’s probably what my beer-stained eyes wanted to see — but it was ruled a foul, even after Farrell challenged it.
Later, in the fifth, when there was no score and all good things still seemed possible, Felix drilled Xander in the coconut, dropping Bogaerts to the ground and creating a scary scene for all of Red Sox Nation. To be honest, I was pretty f$%king pissed at the time. Kelly had just hit a Mariner the previous inning, and with Xander having almost taken him yard in his first at-bat, it seemed a little too convenient that Felix would lose control at that moment.
But X got up, shook it off, and even got a “my bad” from the King as he took first base:
Bogaerts ended up leaving the game to be examined for concussion, and he’s out of the line-up today. Honestly, it’s probably for the best. I loved seeing what this kid brought to the table in the 2013 playoffs, and I sincerely hope he can end this season on something of an upswing and come back guns blazing in 2015.
