Alex Verdugo is coming back to Fenway Park for a homecoming very soon. The New York Yankees will see the Boston Red Sox for the first time this season in a series starting on Friday, June 14. It'll be Verdugo's first time facing off against his former team since being traded to New York this past offseason.
Verdugo played four seasons with the Red Sox after being traded there in the blockbuster Mookie Betts deal. He had some big performances in their run to the 2021 ALCS, including a three-hit game in Game 2 of the ALDS and three RBI in the Wild Card game against none other than the Yankees. Whether in left or right field, he was a primary starter during his tenure.
Verdugo has some mixed feelings about going back to Boston, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He's very much looking forward to being back at the ballpark and seeing former teammates but he isn’t sure how fans will react.
“Part of me, I’m excited,” Verdugo said, via MassLive. “That’s my favorite ballpark and still is, to this day. I love the atmosphere, I love the layout of it. I’ve got a lot of friends over there on that team, too. To be able to see them is going to be refreshing and nice to see them again. But I’m also excited to play. I know when the game’s on, it’s gonna be competing like no other. I remember it from that side, being with the Red Sox. I expect it to be the same way. I’m curious to see how the fans take it, how the first greeting is, I guess. I’m open to whatever they do … It is gonna be a very personal series, just because I was with them for the last four years. But I’m excited about it.”
The fierce rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees complicates matters for this homecoming. This won’t be like Rhys Hoskins returning to Philadelphia as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Verdugo is now on the other side of one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
Alex Verdugo “excited” to play Red Sox for first time since joining Yankees
Verdugo is not just one of 215 players in MLB history to play for both the Red Sox and Yankees but he is one who played for both teams without any stints on other teams in between. While guys like Rickey Henderson, Roger Clemens, Kevin Youkilis and Andrew Benintendi at least had a brief stint on another team, guys like Verdugo, Babe Ruth, Wade Boggs, Jacoby Ellsbury, David Cone, Johnny Damon and Adam Ottavino have jumped right from one side of the most heated rivalry in baseball to the other.
So far in his first season with the Yankees, Verdugo has been very solid. Through 262 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .261/.317/.432, 61 hits, 34 RBI and eight home runs. His home-run percentage of 3.1 is better than any figure he managed with Boston.
Alex Verdugo wasn’t a Red Sox legend but he deserves a nice welcome back, especially because he wasn’t the one who chose to leave. He's going to be the only one in pinstripes who gets any sort of positive reaction, though, as the latest installment of Yankees-Red Sox is bound to be intense.
