Alex Verdugo erupts in first game against former team as Yankees crush Red Sox
BOSTON — In case Alex Verdugo understated what his return to Fenway Park meant to him, his trip around the bases in the first inning Friday night said it all.
Six months after the Red Sox traded him to the Yankees, leaving him initially upset but eventually happy, Verdugo crushed the first pitch he saw for a two-run blast against his old team.
Verdugo, booed by the home crowd when he walked to the plate, enjoyed an emphatic home run trot, which included pounding his chest, flexing and yelling at the Yankees dugout in celebration.
It was just the beginning of Verdugo’s big night, propelling the Yankees to an 8-1 over the Red Sox in front of a lively 35,024.
“It was pure adrenaline, just fired up,” Verdugo said. “I wasn’t really expecting to swing first pitch. To put it out of the ballpark and give us an early 2-0 lead was big. I kind of let a little yell out around first and when I hit second, I saw my dugout going crazy. All the guys up barking, doing whatever they’re doing. So I just kind of lost it again.”
In a series he had circled on his calendar for months, Verdugo went 3-for-5 with a home run, double and four RBIs.
He said before the game his first trip back to Fenway Park was both “special” and “weird” — while acknowledging the trade was “better for me” in hindsight — but he also made it memorable with his performance.
“I’m sure if you asked him last year at this point if he wanted to play for the Yankees, he would say absolutely not,” said Anthony Rizzo, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. “To get traded and to get traded to your rival, not a lot of trades happen [like that]. He was pumped.”
While sticking it to the Red Sox (35-35), Verdugo helped the Yankees (50-22) become the first team in the majors to reach 50 wins with their 13th victory in their last 16 games.
Luis Gil continued his breakout season by throwing five innings of one-run ball, despite needing a career-high 104 pitches on a night when his command was off but his stuff was “electric,” as manager Aaron Boone put it.
But the night belonged to Verdugo.
During the flight here and on the bus ride to Fenway Park, the Yankees jokingly got on Verdugo about his return to Boston. But in the hours before the game Friday, Boone sensed a calmness from his outfielder to the point where he wondered if he might be nervous.
Instead, Verdugo said he was focused on not getting too emotional and psyching himself out before the game. Then came his first-pitch, 406-foot home run off Brayan Bello in the top of the first inning.
“It was a big moment,” Verdugo said. “It felt like a lot of relief for me and also just anticipation for this matchup. I think my teammates did a great job of keeping me fueled but in check at the same time.”
Verdugo added an RBI double off the Green Monster in the fifth to extend the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. Then in the ninth, after Jose Trevino homered and Aaron Judge roped an RBI double, Verdugo shot a single through the right side to make it 8-1.
By the end of the night, the Yankees fans in attendance were all barking at Verdugo in what has become his signature celebration.
“He came right out and delivered a punch on the first pitch and didn’t stop,” Boone said. “Pretty impressive performance, knowing that it meant a lot for him.”
Before the game, Verdugo rehashed his tenure in Boston with reporters, the sour ending (though he insisted he and Red Sox manager Alex Cora still had a good relationship) and the better fit he has found with the Yankees. The key, he said, was just being able to be himself.
Hours later, he showed what kind of impact that can have on the field.
“Obviously for me, it’s just a big thing to help the team win and feel like I’m contributing and helping the guys move the line along,” Verdugo said. “There’s no secret that this was a big series for me. Just got to keep going.”
