Xander Bogaerts stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth inning. He watched two four-seamers from A's starter James Kaprielian go by -- one down and in, the other just a touch outside.
The third pitch, however, was right over the heart of the plate -- and Bogaerts squared it up, launching it deep to left field for a solo shot.
Fittingly, Bogaerts drove in the first and last runs of Boston's 7-2 win over Oakland, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
The homer itself wasn't otherworldly -- 389 feet, 102.8 mph off the bat -- but it perfectly highlighted a historic night for Bogaerts.
With his start Friday night, Bogaerts has now played 1,094 career games at shortstop, breaking a franchise record that lasted for over a century.
He passed Everett Scott, who played for the Red Sox from 1914-21. Bogaerts and Scott are currently tied for the most career starts at short.
"It means a lot to us," manager Alex Cora said. "We'll wait for the celebration tomorrow because tomorrow's another big day for him.
Ask around the Red Sox clubhouse, and one word repeatedly comes up to describe what Bogaerts means to this club: consistency.
Bogaerts has long been a fixture in Boston. He signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent out of Aruba in 2009 and made his Major League debut four years later, appearing in 18 games in the 2013 regular season.