NEW YORK — While the Red Sox got plenty from their three All-Stars (Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman and Aroldis Chapman), Tuesday’s tense, 3-1 win in Game 1 of this AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees might not have been possible without the smarts and hustle of role player Nick Sogard.
After a frustrating first six innings for the Boston offense in which Yankees ace Max Fried matched Cochet pitch for pitch, the Red Sox finally found an opening right after the Yankees went to reliever Luke Weaver in a game-turning top of the seventh.
Ceddanne Rafaela, known for his lack of patience at the plate, got the rally started with an 11-pitch walk.
And that was when Sogard chipped in with what looked like an innocent single to right-center. Instead, Sogard never broke stride, testing right fielder Aaron Judge’s ailing right elbow and turning it into a hustle double.
That loomed large when pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida’s single brought in two runs to give the Red Sox their first lead.
What did Sogard see in that moment?
“It kind of took a while to field it and it was Judge fielding it, and I just tried to challenge the arm in that spot,” Sogard said.
The fact that Judge is still recovering from a right flexor strain that landed him on the injured list in July and limited his defensive reps down the stretch is something that didn’t escape the Red Sox in their game planning.
“That’s preparation,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We talk about their outfielders and what can we do or what we cannot do, and he saw it right away and took advantage of it.”
Would Sogard have run on Judge if his arm was at full strength?
“We’ll never know. I don’t know,” Sogard said.
Did Sogard’s baserunning catch Judge by surprise?
“No,” said the Yankees’ captain. “He’s quick, He hits it in the gap, splits me and [Trent Grisham]. Not surprised at all. I’m trying to get in there and make a play. I definitely don’t want to overthrow it. But he’s pretty quick.”
Per Statcast, the throw by Judge was 73.2 mph. Judge has made just two throws at 80 mph-plus since his return from the IL. Prior to the injury, Judge’s throws regularly exceeded 90 mph, topping out with a throw of 95.3 mph in April.
The Yankees had Judge at DH when he first returned from the IL in August, but that necessitated putting Giancarlo Stanton, who has well below-average range, in the outfield. The Yankees ultimately decided that Judge’s superior range was worth the tradeoff, and given their desire to keep Stanton’s hot bat in the lineup at DH, it’s fair to assume that Judge will continue to play right fiend, and there could be further opportunities to take advantage of his throws during the rest of the series.
“Yeah, it was something we went over before the game,” said Sogard. “Just reading the play and how he fielded it, it felt like a good time to make that decision.”
But it was Cora who made the decision to start the 28-year-old Sogard, who has played in 61 regular-season games over the last two seasons while rotating between the Red Sox and Triple-A.
A few months back, Cora turned some heads when he said that the unheralded Sogard, who plays all four infield spots and the outfield in a pinch, could be a utility player for a championship team.
Sogard has done his part, coming up with some key hits for the Sox during their stretch run, and a pivotal hit and baserunning play in Game 1 of the postseason.
As a manager, Cora is always one to keep all his bench players in the mix. There was some external criticism of the way he went full platoon mode against Yankees ace Max Fried for Game 1, even though that’s how he’s managed all season. Sogard made Cora’s decision look sound.
“Those aren’t decisions for us to make,” Sogard said. “But whatever he decides, I think everyone in here believes in it and the next man up, whoever is in that day, is going to do their thing.”
Sogard has earned the respect in Boston’s clubhouse for the way he does all the little things.
“He plays his tail off and it showed tonight,” Bregman said. “AC said at the beginning of Spring Training it is going to take every single person in the room if we want to get to where we want to get to. Sogy was so big tonight.”
