Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo with a 4 RBI night against former team
Alex Verdugo swung at and crushed the very first pitch he saw as a member of the New York Yankees for a two-run homer off Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.
Verdugo sent a Bello sinker deep into the center field bleachers in the top of the first inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. While rounding the base paths, Verdugo let his emotions out, pounding on his chest and yelling at the Red Sox crowd and his teammates in the dugout.
The 28-year-old relished the moment following the big hit in the first inning.
“Pure adrenaline, man. Just fired up,” Verdugo said to reporters following the game. “I wasn’t really expecting to swing the first pitch, and to put it out of the ballpark and give us an early 2-0 lead was big. I let a little yell out around first, and when I hit second, I saw my dugout going crazy, all the guys out there barking and doing whatever they’re doing. I kinda lost it again.”
The fiery Verdugo finished the night 3-for-5 with one double, a homer, and four RBI.
“To come over here and do what we did as a team, and obviously the swing I put on it in the first to give us the lead, it was a big moment,” Verdugo said. “It felt like a lot of relief for me with the anticipation for this matchup.
“There’s no secret that this was a big series for me.”
Verdugo’s homer came on the heels of Red Sox fans booing the former right fielder. The reaction from the crowd fueled the former Boston outfielder.
“It was as expected,” Verdugo said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect coming back here and what would be the initial reaction. But I did know I was gonna get booed. To see it immediately, it was like, ‘OK, we’re no longer over there and they’re gonna let you have it.’”
Verdugo said he was anticipating a weird day facing his old team, especially playing for the Yankees.
“I wasn’t nervous,” he said. “It was more of a controlled focus all day today. I felt alert and ready to go. It was more of just trying not to, in a sense, be too hyped up too early to need my adrenaline during the game.
“I had a lot of energy for this matchup. I felt like I was in a good spot.”
