NEW YORK — The final three-plus months of Alex Verdugo’s first regular season with the New York Yankees were so frustrating that there were some doubts if he would be in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
Though the Yankees decided to go with Verdugo mostly because of his better outfield defense than novice rookie Jasson Dominguez, the left fielder delivered on both ends to help the Yankees open the postseason on a positive note.
Verdugo hit a tiebreaking RBI single with two outs in the seventh inning and the New York Yankees opened the ALDS with a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in New York.
Verdugo reached base three times, doing so six days after delivering a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth of the Yankees’ regular-season finale, a 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
With Jazz Chisholm Jr. on second after opening the seventh inning Saturday with a single and a stolen base, Verdugo lined an 0-1 cutter from Michael Lorenzen (0-1) into left field. He advanced to second when Chisholm scored standing up ahead of left fielder MJ Melendez’s throw to the plate.
“Just trusting that he’s going to be ready for the moment, his experience, his track record and he’s going to be ready for the moment,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Verdugo. “It’s been a little bit of an up-and-down, tough second half for him offensively, but the guy’s a good hitter.”
Acquired in a rare trade with the rival Boston Red Sox in December, Verdugo started the season decently but tailed off considerably, finishing with a .233 average that was the lowest of any of his full seasons. He ended the campaign with four hits in his final 26 at-bats but capped New York’s 94-win regular season with a two-run bases-loaded single on Sunday in the eighth to beat the Pirates before coming through again Saturday.
Before his clutch hit, Verdugo made a highlight-reel juggling catch on Michael Massey’s drive to end the fourth and strand two. He tracked down the ball as it glanced off his wrist and bounced off his chest before completing the catch with his bare left hand.
“I’m sure he hears some of it, and that’s not always fun, especially when you’re a good player in this league,” Boone said. “But as far as handling Jasson coming up and obviously playing a lot and taking some time away from him, he’s a pro and ready to do his job and did some really good things when his number was called along with Jasson down the stretch. He’s clearly ready for this moment tonight.”
Verdugo’s clutch hit occurred after the Yankees tied the score in the sixth on a run-scoring bloop single by Austin Wells, who also drew one of New York’s two bases-loaded walks in the fifth. Anthony Volpe had the other bases-loaded free pass, but his error in the top of the sixth eventually led to Garrett Hampson’s pinch-hit two-run single that gave the Royals a 5-4 lead.
Volpe committed a throwing error on a forceout attempt at second after a grounder by Tommy Pham, and the misplay proved costly when Hampson hit his two-run single off Tim Hill through a drawn-in infield.
Verdugo singled in the third and scored on a two-run homer by Gleyber Torres. Verdugo also opened the home half of the sixth with a walk and scored on Wells’ game-tying base hit.
Melendez hit a two-run homer and Pham lifted a sacrifice fly to center against New York starter Gerrit Cole as the Royals took a 3-2 lead through four innings.
Cole allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in five-plus innings, getting lifted after Yuli Gurriel opened the sixth with a single. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out four, walked two and threw 80 pitches.
Clay Holmes relieved Hill in the sixth, got the final two outs of the frame and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Tommy Kahnle went two-thirds of an inning, and Luke Weaver recorded a four-out save.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha allowed three runs on four hits in four-plus innings. He struck out three and walked three as the Royals tied a season high by issuing eight walks.
“That’s really uncharacteristic for us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s something you don’t want to try to fight back from against a team like that. So that was uncharacteristic and unfortunate because that’s not really who we are as a staff.”
-Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
