Jesuit High alum celebrates birthday with key role on Red Sox and a win over A’s
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- Jesuit High alum Nick Sogard marked his 28th birthday playing for Red Sox in West Sacramento.
- Sogard contributed a double and strong defense at second base in 6-0 win over Athletics.
- Red Sox rookie Connelly Early struck out 11 in MLB debut against A’s.
Nick Sogard never expected he would be playing in a Major League game in his hometown — let alone on his birthday.
“Given the circumstances of the stadium, and then when the schedule came out, seeing the team was here on my birthday was crazy,” Sogard said before his Red Sox played the Athletics on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park.
Sogard celebrated his 28th birthday playing second base for the Boston Red Sox at Sutter Health Park, clubbing a double off the right-center field wall and providing the defense he’s been known for since he was a skinny shortstop at nearby Jesuit High School. He finished his birthday going 1-for-4 at the plate with a run scored.
Sogard had roughly 50 family members and friends on hand for the series in West Sacramento, including his parents Steve and Tamara, who live in Fair Oaks and hosted their son for the three-game set. He’s also the nephew of longtime big-league infielder Steve Sax, who serves as an analyst for A’s pre- and postgame shows, and his brother Dave, who played for Boston from 1985-87. Both are from Sacramento.
“He was always kind of gangly,” Sax said of his nephew. “But he loved to play, and he always had really good hands, and you knew that he would grow into his skills of hitting. He was always a good hitter too. But he wasn’t physically as big as other guys his age.”
It’s been an eventful season for Sogard, who is on his fifth stint with the Red Sox while bouncing between the majors and Triple-A Worcester. His current assignment is filling a spot in the order after budding star Roman Anthony, an American League Rookie of the Year candidate, went on the injured list Sept. 3 with a left oblique strain.
“It’s been a blast,” Sogard said of the season. “I think the season’s come with a lot of unique challenges coming back and forth. But I think it’s been to learn how to deal with it and grow from it. Being here in this spot now, just trying to help out however I can, and hopefully the team to keep its momentum going into the playoffs.”
The Red Sox came into Tuesday in the second Wild Card spot in the American League, three games ahead of the Seattle Mariners and 4 1/2 up on the Texas Rangers, who are on the outside looking in. Boston came into Tuesday with the best record in the AL since July 24.
Sogard has played in 22 of the 31 games he’s been on Boston’s roster, including Monday and Tuesday this week against the A’s, making starts at first base, second base, third base and right field. He’s made two errors in 202 chances over the past two seasons.
“He’s just a good player, man,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Switch hitter, will put the ball in play, put a quality at-bat, play defense. ... He can play first, second, short and third. He’s a really good player.”
With his double Tuesday, Sogard extended his hitting streak to four games, which included an RBI single in Boston’s 7-0 win on Monday. For the season he was hitting .254/.321/.338. He has 18 hits in 21 games, including six doubles, and is still looking for his first Major League home run.
Sogard is also the cousin of former A’s second baseman Eric Sogard, who spent six of his 11 seasons playing for Oakland, where Nick Sogard would regularly attend games to support his older cousin.
“I went to like 40 or 50 games that summer,” Nick Sogard said. “I think I lived at the park. He’s someone that I spent a couple offseasons with training as well. ... I’ve had a lot of people that have been pulling for me.”
A’s shut out for second straight night
The Red Sox on Tuesday scored four first-inning runs against starter Jeffrey Springs, all coming from the long ball. Romy Gonzalez led off the game with a home run to center. Three batters later, Rob Refsnyder hit a three-run shot to left that went 468 feet, the longest homer of the season for a Boston hitter.
Boston won, 6-0, shutting the A’s out for the second straight game to begin the three-game series. The A’s have been outscored 13-0 in the past two games.
The Red Sox got an unexpectedly excellent performance from rookie Connelly Early, who was making his MLB debut. The 23-year-old left-hander tied a Red Sox debut record with 11 strikeouts when he whiffed Brent Rooker in the fifth inning.
Cora saw enough and went to his bullpen in the sixth after Early threw five scoreless innings allowing just five hits. It was the second time the A’s had been shutout in consecutive games this season. It first happened June 26-27 in road losses to the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees.
The A’s and Red Sox will finish their three-game series with an afternoon game Wednesday, with a 12:35 p.m. first pitch.
