Red Sox
Sogard made his MLB debut with Boston on Friday.
It didn’t take long for Nick Sogard to collect his first major league hit.
The 26-year-old infielder made his MLB debut with the Red Sox on Friday, and he clobbered his first big league knock by way of a single in his second at-bat. Sogard’s single wasn’t any ordinary single: It was a two-run hit that gave Boston a 6-3 lead over the Texas Rangers in the top of the fourth inning.
Watch Sogard’s milestone here:
The 2019 draft pick hit the ball off of an 87-mile-per-hour slider by Rangers starter José Ureña. The pitch was hit nearly 97 MPH off of Sogard’s bat and traveled 242 feet to right field. Connor Wong and Wilyer Abreu crossed home plate to give the Red Sox an early three-run lead on Texas in a back-and-forth, relatively high-scoring game to that point.
The Rangers and Red Sox collectively hit four home runs prior to Sogard’s at-bat. Boston starting pitcher Kutter Crawford allowed three of those to Texas batters. Wong and Abreu each hit RBI singles, respectively, to give the Red Sox a one-run lead before Sogard’s memorable plate appearance.
Boston called up the switch hitter on Wednesday, five years after he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 12th round. The Red Sox acquired Sogard and catcher Ronaldo Hernandez in a trade with the Rays in exchange for pitchers Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs in February 2021.
Since then, Sogard has worked his way up through the minor league system. He was promoted to the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox in 2022, spending the better part of three seasons with that club in preparation for his major league debut on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
Sogard’s parents, sister, girlfriend, and friends from home were all in attendance at Globe Life Stadium, cheering him on from the stands to witness his unforgettable first hit.
Sign up for Red Sox updates⚾
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during baseball season.