Xander Bogaerts might have set MLB’s most unbreakable record
By Kristen Wong
Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts just made a bit of MLB history on Saturday night. Remember his name for future trivia competitions.
San Diego Padres‘ Xander Bogaerts just did something that no other MLB player — not Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, or even the incomparable Shohei Ohtani — has done.
On Saturday night, Bogaerts hit a homer off of San Francisco Giants‘ Jakob Junis at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in Mexico City, making Bogaerts the first major league player to homer in four different countries.
Bogaerts has homered in the United States, England, Canada, and now Mexico, surpassing Tony Clark and Michael Brantley, who had previously homered in just three countries.
The Padres and Giants played the first of a two-game series in Mexico City on Saturday, and San Diego beat San Francisco in a 16-11 high-scoring affair. In that game, the teams combined for 11 homers, and Bogaerts hit one of them in the fourth inning.
On his spectacular feat, Bogaerts told reporters: “I guess I play good in [international games]. Hopefully, that continues. Tonight was a really special night for our whole team. Let’s see if we can keep that going.”
Padres’ Xander Bogaerts has homered in four different countries
In total, Bogaerts has racked up 162 career home runs, most of which have come in the U.S., naturally.
Bogaerts is slashing .311/.405/.524 and has hit a team-high six homers along with 13 RBIs in his first season with the Padres.
Prior to joining San Diego, he spent a decade on the Boston Red Sox earning four All-Star honors and five Silver Slugger awards; in terms of his international career, he’s hit homers at the Toronto Blue Jays’ stadium in Canada and also slammed one out of the park in a 2019 London Series.
Now, Bogaerts can check off Mexico City on his list. Just call him Mr. Worldwide.