He responded to loud boos from his former team’s fans with a first-pitch home run in his first at-bat. Alex Verdugo (28-New York Yankees) roared around the bases in a fiery ceremony as the Boston Red Sox took the lead against the New York Yankees.
Verdugo visited Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on Friday (Aug. 15) as a member of the Yankees. It was a homecoming for Verdugo, who played four years in Boston from 2020 to last year.
But the Boston fans didn’t take too kindly to him. When he stepped up to bat in the first inning, he was booed instead of cheered. In his four years in Boston, Verdugo batted .281 (1884-for-529) with 43 home runs, 206 RBIs, and a .761 OPS in 493 games, but he was also dogged by walks.
On June 8th of last year, he was ejected from a game against the Cleveland Indians for a sloppy baserunning play. In the seventh inning, he was thrown out at second base on Masataka Yoshida’s grounder to first base when he stood instead of sliding into second base, ending the inning and costing his team the lead.
On Aug. 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was originally in the starting lineup but was abruptly pulled.
He was late to the stadium for a home game, 안전놀이터 and Boston manager Alex Cora benched him. It wasn’t just a one-off, but a habitual tardiness that Cora had had enough.
Eventually, Boston traded Verdugo to the rival Yankees last December for three pitchers. The Red Sox sent Verdugo away in exchange for bullpen arm Greg Weissert and minor league pitchers Richard Fitz and Nicholas Judge. After the trade, Verdugo took a jab at Cora, saying, “I’m glad to be with Yankees general manager Aaron Boone, who fights for his players.”
Back at Fenway Park, batting fourth and playing right field, Verdugo responded to boos with a two-run homer in his first at-bat. He followed that up with an RBI double in the fifth inning and an RBI single to right in the ninth to finish 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the Yankees’ 8-1 victory.
Speaking to local media, including MLB.com, Verdugo said, “I believe everything happens for a reason. I think the trade happened for a reason, whether it was good or bad. Looking back, it was better for me,” he said, adding that it was a good thing he was traded to the Yankees.
This season with the Yankees,
Verdugo is hitting .319 with a .438 on-base percentage, .757 slugging percentage, 22 walks and 39 strikeouts in 69 games (68-for-256) with nine home runs, 41 RBIs, 22 doubles and 39 triples. He’s also been strong with runners in scoring position, going 23-for-71 with four homers and an .896 OPS, helping the Yankees to a 50-22 record and a .694 winning percentage.
As for the rumors of a falling out with Cora, Verdugo said, “I think we just bumped into each other over a couple little things and that’s fine. We don’t always agree on everything, but I respect her,” he said, adding, “The media and people want to blow things out of proportion. We had a disagreement, we clashed, but we talked like men and made up. I don’t want the media to report that we have a bad relationship.”
Yankees manager Boone said,
“We were excited to get Verdugo, and he has exceeded our expectations. He is a great player, not only at the plate, but also within the team. He’s embraced the new environment well.” Verdugo has also fit in well with the Yankees’ conservative team culture, including keeping his beard trimmed in accordance with Yankees internal rules. He was also well-liked by the Yankees’ players, with captains Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo advocating for him to be traded a few years ago. In Boston, he was considered a troublemaker, but with the Yankees, he was transformed into an atmosphere maker.
“Verdugo is a good kid,” Cora said. I think people make too much of the story. We have a good relationship,” Cora said. “He’s a good player. 온라인 슬롯 In trading him, we got three good pitchers.” Reliever Weissert has anchored Boston’s bullpen with a 2-1 record, 2.83 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 29 appearances (28⅔ innings) this season.