Nick Sogard spent five seasons in the minor leagues before being promoted to the big leagues Wednesday. He’ll turn 27 in a little more than a month, and that, too, is an advanced age for someone playing his first game in the majors.
Sogard had been patient throughout his career, and even though he thought he might have gotten the call a few times earlier this season, he wasn’t impatient.
Until Friday night.
Sogard arrived at Globe Life Field Friday afternoon to find his name on the lineup card, something about which he had been dreaming for a long time.
“I felt pretty calm the whole day,” said Sogard, “and the whole time since being called up (Wednesday, when he didn’t play). But the last hour, between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. felt like three hours.”
Once the game started, Sogard fell into a more natural rhythm. He took a called third strike in the second inning in his first at-bat. Two innings later, he came to the plate with two runners on base and one out and stroked a sharp single to right, scoring two runs.
“That definitely was a nice weight off the shoulders,” said Sogard after the Red Sox beat up the Texas Rangers, 11-6, “and to drive in a few runs and feel like I helped the team win today was a good feeling.”
Overall, he was 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI.
After his inaugural hit, Sogard was celebrated by his teammates, getting a few hugs on the field and more in the dugout. That welcome reception made him feel like he belonged.
“That was awesome,” he said. “To see guys I’ve watched on TV for a long time who are now teammates and are supportive of me, was cool.”
The ball was retrieved and saved as a souvenir for Sogard, who planned to present the keepsake to his father, who had traveled with Sogard’s mother, sister, girlfriend and friends from Sacramento.
“That was awesome,” said Alex Cora of the milestone. “I think he checked all the boxes throughout player development. We asked him to do a lot of things physically, nutrition-wise, bat-speed program, play winter ball. He had a great spring and he was very patient. He did an outstanding job in Worcester and he’s going to help us.”
