NEW YORK — When Masataka Yoshida stepped up in the top of the seventh and lined Luke Weaver’s first pitch fastball into center field, Ceddanne Rafaela and Nick Sogard both came around to score, flipping a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.

But if not for some aggressive baserunning by Sogard, the Red Sox may not have had a chance to pull ahead on the play.

Following an 11-pitch walk by Rafaela, Sogard sent a softly hit liner into the right field gap. By all accounts the play should have been a routine single to put runners at the corners, only Sogard pushed the envelope and stretch the play into a double.

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In the pressure cooker of a playoff game little moments like that can make all the difference, and Sogard’s teammates took notice.

“That’s why he’s here. He knows how to p

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