Nick Sogard fulfills more than ‘significant’ dream in MLB debut

Sogard eventually became a regular for Triple-A Worcester in July 2022, but was stuck there for two years. However, Sogard’s improved hitting and the Red Sox’ struggles at second base might have forced Boston’s hand to call him up. Sogard had been hitting .290 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 65 games since the start of May.

“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 of Sogard’s path to the majors. “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.”

Sogard still had to play the waiting game before making his big league debut. He was called up on Wednesday, but didn’t play in the Red Sox’ win over the Mariners that day. But he’s been used to playing the waiting game.

“I felt pretty good in the box the whole day,” Sogard told reporters. “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.”

There definitely didn’t appear to be any nerves with Sogard during his first big moment in the majors. After striking out looking in his first big league at-bat, Sogard’s first hit came with two runners in scoring position. He was later embraced by his new teammates and players he spent time with in Worcester.

“Just awesome moment for him and all of us having played with him in Worcester, just really happy for him,” Red Sox catcher Connor Wong told reporters. “Great guy and great ball player.”

“That was awesome,” Sogard added of being embraced by his new teammates. “To see guys I’ve watched on TV for a long time who are now teammates and are supportive of me, was cool.”

Even though Sogard downplayed any nerves he might have in his big league debut, he sensed a sigh of relief with his first big league hit.

“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 fourth-inning single was Sogard’s only hit of the day. He finished Friday’s game going 1-for-4 with a walk in the sixth inning, scoring on Ceddanne Rafela’s two-run homer on the next at-bat.

But the fact that his first big-league hit came with the team he grew up rooting for and in front of his friends and family just made the moment even more special for Sogard, too.

“To say doing it with this team is significant is an understatement,” Sogard told NESN’s Tom Caron. “So, this is a cool day for me and my family.”