There is no telling how many of these there are left.
Xander Bogaerts just absolutely teeing off on a baseball, knowing before his follow-through is complete that it will be sailing over left field wall at Fenway Park. There are home runs at Fenway, and then there are Bogaerts' home runs at Fenway. Not that they are hit farther or seem more majestic, but most of the time, for whatever reason, they do feel different.
And this one - the blast from the Red Sox' 9-8 win over the Rays - may have felt even more unique than most of the 90 home homers hit before it.
The first time we ever witnessed Bogaerts at Fenway it was exactly nine years ago - Aug. 27, 2013. The collage of images of the shortstop performing in front of the home crowd is massive. But with the uncertainty surrounding the 29-year-old's future existence in a Red Sox uniform, every move and movement is magnified.
Hence, the appreciation for this seemingly innocuous sixth-inning three-run homer.
The act was one thing. The emotion within the moment was another.
Watch the few seconds that came with the swing and the pictures say it all. Even before the ball clears the wall Bogaerts can be seen turning, briefly staring at the ground, grabbing the barrel of his bat and then firing the piece of wood to the ground, not looking up until about half-way down the first-base line.
The stoicism and reflection seemed to last until Bogaerts finally rounded the bases, with the shortstop finally breaking free from the state of mind only after banging his foot on home plate. That's when the smile finally came out.
"It felt real good, man, I'm not going to lie," Bogaerts said. "It felt real good off the bat, I kind of knew it so it was really good."
The emotions was partly due to the search for production. But one also has to think that through this season-long tidal wave of uncertainty, this was the ultimate exhale.
It was just one home run and one win. On the surface, too little, too late. But sometimes it's not about the here and the now, it is about what has been and what might be. That's why Bogaerts' blast - and the images that came with it - should be appreciated.
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