Red Sox Notes: Nick Sogard Turns In ‘Awesome Moment’ In MLB Debut

Boston Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard patiently waited to make his major league debut after spending five seasons in the minors.

But as he came closer to taking the field for the first time in the big leagues Friday night at Globe Life Field, it felt as if the clock had stopped and first pitch wouldn’t come. That’s really the only time the 26-year-old got antsy.

Sogard shook off that angst by game time and made sure he contributed in his debut to aid Boston in its 11-6 win over the Texas Rangers.

“I felt pretty good in the box the whole day,” Sogard told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think the hit obviously was nice, but I felt pretty calm the whole day, the whole time since being called up. But the last hour (before first pitch) felt like three hours.”

Sogard struck out looking in his first at-bat to end the top of the second, but two innings later, he came through with a key hit. He capped a four-run fourth inning for the Red Sox by lining a single to right field to score both Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong, which gave Boston a 6-3 lead at the time.

Sogard made sure to get the ball back from the momentous occasion and said he planned to give the ball to his dad.

“It was a nice weight off the shoulders and drive in a few runs and feel like I helped the team win today, it was a good feeling,” Sogard said.

The base knock drew quite the reaction from Sogard’s teammates, who were happy to see him come through in that situation. Many of Boston’s players, like Abreu, Wong, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, knew Sogard from their time together with Triple-A Worcester.

“Just awesome moment for him and all of us having played with him in Worcester, just really happy for him,” Wong told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Great guy and great ball player.”

The two-run single from Sogard was his only hit of the game as he finished the contest 1-for-4 with a walk. But the switch-hitting infielder showed a glimpse of what he can provide as the Red Sox continue to search for a second baseman.

And Sogard will most likely keep getting opportunities, at least until Vaughn Grissom is ready to return from the injured list.

“It’s awesome. Like I said before the game, I think he checked all the boxes throughout player development,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “We asked him to do a lot of things physically, nutrition-wise, bat-speed program, he played winter ball and he had a great spring. He was very patient. He did an outstanding job in Worcester and he’s going to help us.”

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Here are more notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Rangers game:

— Sogard wasn’t the only one making a debut. Veteran reliever Luis García made his Red Sox debut against the Rangers after Boston acquired him in a last-minute deal at Tuesday’s trade deadline. García, who hit 97 mph on the radar gun, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning on just seven pitches.

“García threw the ball well,” Cora said. “That velocity is great.”

— Kutter Crawford made MLB history for the wrong reasons in his start. He became the first player to let up 12 home runs over a three-game stretch. The right-hander allowed four to the Rangers, but still managed to earn the win by tossing 5 1/3 innings in which he surrendered five runs and six hits while striking out five and walking one.

“My execution has got to be better,” Crawford told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Obviously, I gave up some damage tonight and all those pitches were pretty much over the middle of the plate. I just got to keep competing and stay on the attack.”

— Duran’s speed continues to do damage. He went 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot and logged his league-leading 13th triple of the season. The speedster also stole his 24th bases on the campaign.

— The Red Sox offense delivered a standout performance with 16 hits. Wong silently had a quarter of that output with a 4-for-5 showing at the plate. All four of Wong’s hits were singles and he scored three times, too.

— Standings Watch: The Red Sox gained a game on the New York Yankees, who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, but remain two games behind the Twins for the third and final American League wild-card spot after Minnesota handily defeated the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

— The Red Sox will send Tanner Houck to the mound Saturday at Globe Life Field as they continue their series with the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN