NEW YORK -- While the Red Sox got plenty from their three All-Stars (Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman and Aroldis Chapman), Tuesday’s tense, 3-1 win in Game 1 of this AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees might not have been possible without the smarts and hustle of role player Nick Sogard .

After a frustrating first six innings for the Boston offense in which Yankees ace Max Fried matched Cochet pitch for pitch, the Red Sox finally found an opening right after the Yankees went to reliever Luke Weaver in a game-turning top of the seventh.

Ceddanne Rafaela, known for his lack of patience at the plate, got the rally started with an 11-pitch walk.

And that was when Sogard chipped in with what looked like an innocent single to right-center. Instead, Sogard never broke stride, testing rig

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