With the Purple Sox able to run on Aaron Decide on Tuesday, Nick Sogard executed their plan to perfection within the seventh inning of Boston’s 3-1 win over the Yankees within the Bronx.
With the Bombers, now dealing with elimination, up 1-0 within the seventh inning and a person on first with one out, Sogard slapped a single to right-center discipline. Decide took his time fielding the ball and getting it in, permitting the speedy Sogard to hustle into second base for a double. It didn’t assist that Decide threw a 73.2-mph one-hopper into second.
Sogard went on to attain on a two-run single from Masataka Yoshida.
“No. He’s quick,” Decide mentioned when requested if Sogard took him unexpectedly. “Hits it in the gap, splits me and [Trent Grisham]. Not surprised at all.”
Aaron Boone added that he didn’t suppose Sogard caught Decide napping, however there was nonetheless the matter of the proper fielder’s weak throw.
“Yeah, I’m trying to get it in there and make a play,” Decide mentioned when requested if that’s the toughest he can hearth. “Definitely don’t want to overthrow. But he’s quick. Got in there. Just trying to make a play.”
“I think it was just controlling the one hop on it,” Boone chimed in.
73.2 mph on this throw from Decide on the Sogard double. Arm positively nonetheless a difficulty. That further base permits Sogard to attain on the Yoshida single.
Grisham most likely has to name off/minimize off Decide right here? Wholesome Decide nails Sogard at second. Sox examined Decide’s arm and it labored. pic.twitter.com/KPmhc5cgux
Sogard had a unique tackle the play.
“It kind of took a while to field it,” he mentioned, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “And Judge fielded it moving away from second base, and I just tried to challenge the arm in that spot.”
When Decide’s arm is at full energy, it’s a deterrent, as he’s able to topping 90 mph. However, as everybody is aware of, Decide’s arm has not been at full energy since he returned from a proper flexor pressure in early August.
Everybody contains the Purple Sox, who entered the best-of-three Wild Card Collection intent on testing the Yankees’ captain.
“That’s preparation,” Purple Sox skipper Alex Cora mentioned of Sogard’s double. “We talk about their outfielders and what can we do or what we cannot do, and he saw it right away and took advantage of it.”
Alex Bregman and Trevor Story additionally talked concerning the Purple Sox making ready for such an “aggressive” play.
“He is one of the best outfielders in baseball offensively and defensively,” Bregman mentioned of Decide. “I feel like you kind of just have to play the game with feel for the situation, timing of the game, outs, situation, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive, kind of just trust your instincts.”
Decide, vying for an additional MVP Award, did make an 85.8-mph throw towards the White Sox final week, nevertheless it’s been uncommon to see him strategy such velocity since he returned to the outfield on Sept. 5 towards the Blue Jays, a recreation through which the Yankees had been damage by his still-recovering arm, although they pretended that wasn’t the case.
Decide was restricted to DH duties previous to that, forcing Giancarlo Stanton to play the outfield for the primary time since 2023. Nevertheless, Decide has higher vary than Stanton, who comes together with his personal harm dangers. The latter hasn’t performed the sphere since Sept. 14.
Tasked with throwing for the primary time again in proper discipline, Aaron Decide flipped a brief toss to Jazz Chisholm Jr. when there was a shot to get Daulton Varsho on the plate. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/Zr2FP4p7GW
When requested about Decide with the ability to unleash his arm’s full velocity within the postseason on Sept. 20, Boone mentioned, “We’ll see” whereas stating that he thinks the slugger’s energy has improved.
“I gotta get back the accuracy a little bit, but that’ll come,” Decide mentioned a number of days later after that beforehand talked about 85.8-mph throw sailed excessive into second base. “I don’t like airmailing balls like that, but I feel good.”
Again on Aug. 19, Boone instructed WFAN that he didn’t suppose Decide would throw “normally” for the remainder of the season. Nevertheless, he walked that again when he spoke to reporters later that day, calling his radio remark overstated.
Minutes later, Decide, by no means keen to debate his accidents and nonetheless working by means of a throwing program on the time, took concern with Boone’s WFAN quote.
“I don’t know why he said that,” Decide mentioned. “He hasn’t seen me throw for the past two weeks, so I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to [100 percent].”
