Red Sox Deliver Blunt Aaron Judge Message After Dramatic Win Over Yankees

Have to take advantage of every little weakness...

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) runs in from the outfield after the top of the seventh inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

There were plenty of turning points in the Boston Red Sox's 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, but Nick Sogard's double in the top of the seventh inning stands out.

Facing reliever Luke Weaver with the tying run on first base, Sogard ripped a low line drive through the infield and sent it rolling between center fielder Trent Grisham and right fielder Aaron Judge. As it became clear that Judge, the American League's best player, would field the ball, Sogard sensed he had a window of opportunity.

Taking off for second base, Sogard hustled out a double thanks to a weak throw (73.2 mph) from Judge's compromised right arm. One pitch later, the game was flipped on its head with a Masataka Yoshida two-run single.

Sogard, Alex Cora talk about Judge's arm

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) shakes hands with starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) during a pitching change during the eighth inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

That Sogard put the tying run on third with one out would have been enough for the plate appearance to be a huge success. But the 28-year-old, playing in his first postseason game, was both heads-up and thinking about the disadvantages of his competitors.

“It kind of took a while to field it,” Sogard said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “And Judge fielded it moving away from second base, and I just tried to challenge the arm in that spot.”

Manager Alex Cora detailed how the Red Sox planned to take advantage of Judge's arm, as the two-time AL Most Valuable Player is still nursing a right flexor strain that put him on the injured list at the end of July.

“That’s preparation. We talk about their outfielders and what we can or what we cannot do, and he saw it right away and took advantage of it,” Cora said, per Smith.

What often gives the Red Sox an advantage over the Yankees isn't their superior talent, but their superior game-planning. No one knows the Bronx Bombers better than Cora, and he seems to take a special kind of joy out of tormenting them.

If the Red Sox are going to pull off the upset in New York and win one more game to advance to the division series, they'll need to keep their foot on the gas.

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