Having made his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox in 2013, Xander Bogaerts went on to establish himself as one of the finest shortstops in the big leagues, earning four All-Star selections and five Silver Slugger awards during his time at Fenway Park, while also helping the Red Sox win two World Series titles.
In December 2022, he signed an 11-year, $280 million contract to join the San Diego Padres as a free agent. He has since become an important player for the Friars.
As the Padres took on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Thursday, however, Bogaerts was involved in a controversial incident. After opening the scoring for his team with a solo home run in the top of the second inning, he immediately followed up with what many considered to be an obscene gesture.
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Popular content page “Jomboy Media” posted a video of the incident to X.
“Immediately going for a handful of junk after hitting a homer is straight out of a 90s baseball movie,” the post was captioned.
Reacting, fans appeared to have contrasting views on Bogaerts‘ gesture. Some felt he had gone too far.
“Classless 🤦🏽♂️,” a fan wrote.
“280 mil contract, .222 average, 11 HR, 1.6 WAR. Probably shouldn’t be trying to show boat,” another fan commented.
“MLB is turning dumb,” another fan replied.
Others, meanwhile, supported Xander Bogaerts’ showboating.
“Love it,” a fan responded.
“That’s the kind of celebration you miss in today’s game. Can’t be all high-fives and team hugs. Sometimes you just gotta go full back-to-the-future vibes after a bomb,” another fan shared.
“For all the BOGEY HATERS, this one’s for you,” another fan posted.
Xander Bogaerts talks about recent hot streak at the plate, jokes about barely missing out on hitting for the cycle
Thanks to Xander Bogaerts‘ strong performance, the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-2 on Thursday. After the game, the infielder spoke to MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell about his recent hot streak at the plate.
“I’m feeling good, hitting the balls hard,” Bogaerts said. “With a little bit more flight instead of being on the ground, I’ll always be a little better.”
He also joked about barely missing out on hitting for the cycle, despite having hit a home run, triple and double relatively early on in the game.
“I’ve thought about it, and I might’ve (deliberately) held up (at first),” Bogaerts added with a laugh. “There’s a good chance. Only one time (I’d do it): To get the cycle. I wanted it bad, I can tell you that.”
For the 2026 season, Xander Bogaerts is batting .226 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Edited by Raghav Mehta