NEW YORK — The final New York Yankees player introduced during the pregame ceremonies of the club’s first postseason game was Alex Verdugo.
Verdugo batted last and was manager Aaron Boone’s pick to start in left field for Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
It was fitting for Verdugo to be the last player to run onto the field, as he was often viewed as the least favored option among a significant portion of the fanbase for the starting left field job. Amid a smattering of half-hearted cheers, the dominant sound echoing from the upper deck of Yankee Stadium was a chorus of boos as Verdugo was introduced alongside the starters.
Hours before first pitch, manager Aaron Boone declared his choice of Verdugo as the starting left fielder over top prospect Jasson Domínguez, citing it as “the right thing to do.” Boone believed Verdugo, despite finishing the regular season with an 83 wRC+, still had big hits to come.
When pressed if there were analytics to support his faith in Verdugo’s potential resurgence, Boone candidly admitted, “not really.” He firmly believes that Verdugo has been a good hitter throughout his career, even with a 101 wRC+, meaning he’s one percent better than league average.
The manager’s instincts were vindicated Saturday night. Verdugo delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning, propelling the Yankees to a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. In a game that saw five lead changes — the most in MLB postseason history — Verdugo’s opposite-field hit secured the Yankees a 1-0 start in the ALDS.
Beware of The Dawg. pic.twitter.com/v9XnWQNAuR
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 6, 2024
“‘Dugo is a dog, man,” Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “He’s played for big teams before this. I think I was just talking to someone earlier, like two seconds ago, he brought up that he lives for this. He’s played in big cities before. He played in Boston. He played in LA — and I’m not talking about the Angels.”
Verdugo would not know what October would be like if he started his career with the Angels instead of the Dodgers. In 12 career postseason games, Verdugo has an .879 OPS, and he’s reached base multiple times in seven of those games. He finished his first Yankees playoff game 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.
But Verdugo’s contributions went beyond the batter’s box. He made a crucial sliding catch in the fourth inning that could have changed the game’s momentum. With runners on first and second, Royals leadoff hitter Michael Massey launched a towering fly ball down the left field line that threatened to land in no-man’s land. Verdugo initially trapped the ball against his chest, but it popped loose. Reacting quickly, he snatched it with his bare hand, preventing a run from scoring and keeping American League MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. from batting with two men on base while Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was battling through struggles.
Just weeks ago, it seemed improbable that Verdugo would emerge as the Yankees’ hero in their first postseason game. After calling up Domínguez on Sept. 9, the club had started the prospect in 15 of their final 19 games, perhaps hinting that it was leaning toward starting him in the postseason. Verdugo admitted he was frustrated with his diminished playing time but recognized that his struggles warranted the team’s search for a more reliable option. He was acutely aware of the constant external pressure urging the Yankees to make a change.
“I feel like I’m pretty real with myself, as in fans booing me, fans getting on me,” Verdugo said. “I understand it. I was booing myself, too.”
The Yankees’ left fielder understood that he needed to make a change to silence the boos. Toward the end of the season, he enlisted a personal chef, hoping that better nutrition would boost his energy and aid in recovery. Almost immediately, he noticed a difference, waking up with renewed vigor each day. He’s opened his mind to dishes he once shunned, like kale salads, and he’s seen a change.
“I’m eating stuff that I didn’t even know you could throw into a plate,” Verdugo said. “It’s way over my head. I’ll show you some of the menus I have.”
Dugie’s defense was on display tonight 🐶 pic.twitter.com/YvWFueaOtb
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 6, 2024
An improved diet reenergized him, but Verdugo knew he also needed to fix a swing that had felt out of sync since the season began. He recognized that he wasn’t fully engaging his hip and driving through the ball. All season long, he felt as if he were battling uphill against opposing pitchers.
Stepping into the batter’s box, it often felt like flipping a coin to see if his mechanics would align. More often than not, they didn’t. In his final season before free agency, Verdugo posted career-worst numbers across the board — his lowest average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wOBA, OPS, and wRC+.
But just as the postseason has arrived, Verdugo said he feels better than he has all year.
“I just feel like I’m in a better spot to hit,” he said. “When I hit balls like I did against Michael (Lorenzen) to left field with some authority and a line drive like that, that’s when I know my swing is playing. That’s my bread and butter. My bread and butter is hitting fastballs on a line, oppo, and then we hit the off-speed pitches center to right-center and we get a little bit more loft.”
There was one person Verdugo was determined to come through for on Saturday: his manager. All week long, Boone had told reporters he was still weighing his options between Verdugo and Domínguez for the starting left field spot. But after the game, Verdugo revealed Boone’s secret: he had been informed days earlier that he would get the nod. This provided him with much-needed peace of mind, allowing him to focus instead of glancing over his shoulder at the 21-year-old rookie poised to take his place.
Boone placed his trust in Verdugo when few outside the clubhouse did. In return, Verdugo’s performance made Boone look like a genius.
“I just wanted to kind of put that back to him as in like, ‘hey, man, I got you,’” Verdugo said. “I know the season didn’t go the way I should have really wanted it to go, but the ultimate goal at the end of the day was to get to the playoffs, and that’s where we are. And now it’s time to really just go out there and ball out and give it 100 percent.”
Verdugo demonstrated that one heroic night in October can erase some of the shadow cast over a 162-game regular season.
(Top photo of Alex Verdugo: Luke Hales/Getty Images)
