Nick Sogard Sparks Red Sox to 3-1 Wild Card Game One Win Over Yankees

The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-1 in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series after Garrett Crochet’s strong outing was capped by a decisive seventh-inning rally. Ceddanne Rafaela worked an 11-pitch walk and Nick Sogard hustled a soft liner into the right-center gap, stretching a single into a game-changing double that put runners in scoring position. Masataka Yoshida followed by lining Luke Weaver’s first pitch into center to drive in two and flip a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead the Sox would not surrender. Sogard, a 28-year-old utility player who started just 24 games this season but hit .371 in 35 plate appearances vs. lefties, was chosen by Alex Cora for match-up reasons and executed a premeditated, aggressive baserunning play. The Red Sox explicitly targeted Aaron Judge’s compromised right elbow (a July flexor strain); Statcast clocked Judge’s throw at 73 mph, and Boston credited preparation and situational awareness for exploiting that weakness while New York downplayed concerns.