The night before Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, Xander Bogaerts’ mind raced. He was restless, but not because of any concerns about his team and its fate. He never doubted the Red Sox would win the World Series. In that moment, the game was the least of his worries.
He entered the postseason as the only active player on the Boston roster with experience in the Fall Classic. The nerves, the anxiety, the excitement, he knew how to deal with all that after feeling it back in 2013, the first time around when he started at third base as the Red Sox beat the Cardinals for their eighth title.