Alex Verdugo relishes opportunities to play against the New York Yankees on their own turf.
Verdugo’s latest outing in the Bronx came on Saturday afternoon. The Red Sox ultimately fell to their American League East rival but Verdugo was a bright spot for Boston, belting a two-run homer and playing great defense in left field.
You might have noticed Verdugo pointed and waved to a group of fans in left field as he circled the bases on his round-tripper. The 25-year-old partly was showing love to his family, but he also wanted to acknowledge Yankees fans who’d been in his ear.
“I mean, left field, just a bunch of dudes were talking, chanting and then talking how they talk with me,” Verdugo told reporters after Boston’s 4-2 loss, per MLB.com. “When I rounded second, I wanted to make sure they knew, ‘I got you.’ And then in the family section, I’ve got my family here. So obviously rounding third I pointed at them, at my mom, my girl and my kids. Special moment.”
Verdugo continued: “They don’t stop. Whether I do good or bad, they don’t stop. They just keep going. It’s funny man, I like it, I really do.”
The sixth-year pro clearly doesn’t pretend like he doesn’t hear the heckles, as so many athletes across all sports do. But make no mistake, the noise isn’t going to be detrimental to Verdugo’s game.
“They should just know it’s hard to get under my skin, it’s hard to get in my head,” Verdugo told reporters. “The guys, they rag me enough on the team. So whatever (the fans) say, it’s not a big deal. They bring up family, they bring up everybody, and you’ve just got to chuckle and laugh and use it as fuel to make a play or get something going.”
Given the prime time stage, Yankees fans surely will be letting Verdugo hear it Sunday night. The Boston-New York series finale is scheduled to begin at 7:08 p.m. ET.
