The New York Yankees suffered one of their worst losses of the season on Monday night when they were blown out by a score of 12-2 at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. And as is typically the case, Alex Verdugo found himself getting roasted by fans as a result of a ridiculous bunt attempt he made early in the game.
Verdugo's first season with the Yankees hasn't exactly been smooth sailing (.237 BA, 10 HR, 50 RBI, .668 OPS), and he frequently makes boneheaded plays that draw the ire of fans everywhere. In the fourth inning of this game, with runners on first and second and no one out, Verdugo attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but he ended up popping the ball straight up in the air to the pitcher for the out. New York wouldn't score in the inning, and fans were furious with Verdugo and his explanation for the play after the game.
I’m sorry but I can’t get over this. Do you not know how to bunt? This is shit that would’ve had the whole team running the next day in practice in JV.
1) this fella hits leadoff for the Yankees every day 2) despite this and him running like me after 6 casamigos and lemonades to first the entire year, he hasn’t and will never be benched to “send a message” or whatever other bullshit 3) i cannot wait til he’s gone
Alex Verdugo said the bunt attempt he had was a decision he made on his own. “I kind of didn’t really want to bunt but I was already kind of out there. I just got a little lazy with it and popped it up. That’s, like, the first bunt I’ve ever popped up. It happens.”
Bring up Dominguez. This guy isn’t it. He can’t hit. He can’t field. Undisciplined. I can’t stop thinking about the error he made on that simple fly ball from months ago that lost us the game. He’s not it and we’ve given him plenty of chances.
Alex Verdugo's struggles for the Yankees continue
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Verdugo's explanation for this play is simply mind-boggling, as it wasn't what manager Aaron Boone wanted him to do. And yet he seemed to have no belief that it would actually work. Another quote from Verdugo after the game will only further infuriate fans, as he seems to imply that the Yanks took their foot off the gas because they thought they'd have an easy victory against the worst team in the league in the White Sox.
“Yeah, they're one of the worst teams, if you want to put it that way, but these guys are still big leaguers. They can still have days where they're clicking. We saw it today, a lot of their guys 3-for-4, 3-for-4. These guys can still have good days. We've got to just do a better job of coming out and cashing in those runs that we had on base, kind of step on them early.” – Alex Verdugo, ESPN
Calls for Verdugo's head have been loud all season long, but they are reaching a fever pitch after his latest miscue. Whether it be Trent Grisham off the bench or calling up Jasson Dominguez from the minors, fans want nothing to do with Verdugo anymore. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Boone will punish him for his latest miscue, and chances are he will remain in the team's starting lineup for the foreseeable future.
