New York Yankees fans clamored for manager Aaron Boone to start rookie Jasson Domínguez over Alex Verdugo in left field for Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
Boone likely won't hear the same chatter prior to Game 2 given what Verdugo did in his Yankees playoff debut.
The former Boston Red Sox outfielder played a central part in New York's back-and-forth 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals at Yankees Stadium on Saturday night. Verdugo went 2-for-3 with a walk out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup and drove in the decisive run in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to left field.
"Every at-bat, every pitch in the playoffs matters and this is the kind of baseball that I love," Verdugo told reporters, per YES Network.
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The only other time Verdugo appeared in the postseason came when he played a hand in the Red Sox reaching the AL Championship Series in 2021. The heightened atmosphere of the playoffs seemed to bring the best out of him as he hit .310 with one home run and six RBIs in that run with Boston.
It was hard to tell if Verdugo still had that in him after a calamitous second half of the season. Verdugo, who the Red Sox traded to the Yankees this past offseason for a trio of arms including pitching prospect Richard Fitts, batted .228 with just three home runs and 16 RBIs following the All-Star break.
Many wanted Verdugo to sit on the bench and be replaced permanently by the highly touted prospect in Domínguez. Domínguez got his opportunities, but when the postseason lights flicked on, Boone decided to put his faith in Verdugo, and it was rewarded.
"I'm sure he hears some of it. That's not always fun, especially when you're a good player in this league," Boone told reporters, per YES Network. "As far as handling Jasson coming up and obviously playing a lot and taking some time away from him, he was pro and ready to do his job. Did some really good things when his number was called along with Jasson down the stretch.
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"He was clearly ready for this moment tonight."
