It was all arrange for Alex Verdugo.
He watched Juan Soto, Aaron Decide and J.D. Davis all take walks to start out the second sport of the Subway Sequence on Wednesday.
It was an opportunity to get an early leap on the Mets after they received the very best of the Yankees simply the evening earlier than.
With just one out, Verdugo seemingly was too hungry for it.
He swung on the first pitch — a 94 mph sinker — solely to floor right into a double play to finish the opening body of the Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the Mets, who swept the Subway Sequence at Citi Subject, after an 87-minute rain delay.
“It was proper down the center,” Verdugo advised The Publish with fun. “Simply didn’t keep by way of it sufficient. I didn’t keep contained in the ball sufficient. I form of received round it. Hit it considerably exhausting however clearly hit it on the bottom proper to a man and, you already know, a double play, which was very pricey.
“However actually, the pitch choice on that one, I’m not mad about in any respect. It’s proper down the center and I might swing at that pitch 100 out of 100 occasions. It’s a great pitch. I simply felt like I didn’t actually keep within it sufficient.”
It was one other sport that the Yankees have but to see the Verdugo who went on a revenge tear earlier this month in Boston, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday however grounding into two double performs.
The second double play got here after Decide hit a single and Davis walked within the prime of the fourth inning with the Yankees trailing, 3-0.
![Alex Verdugo reacts dejectedly after grounding into a double play in the fourth inning of the Yankees' loss.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/Alex-Verdugo-2-1.jpg?w=1024)
“These guys are all the time going to be on base. It’s both they’re on base or they only cleaned up the bases,” Verdugo mentioned of batting behind Decide and Juan Soto. “The place I hit within the lineup — 4, 5 — it’s a very great place for RBIs. Actually great place to do one thing. We simply received to trip out our struggles and do our greatest to form of maintain having high quality ABs.”
A single in his third at-bat got here after he had been 2-for-33 since June 15 — the day after he went 3–for-5 towards the Crimson Sox with a homer, double and 4 RBIs.
That hit, alongside along with his single within the eighth inning — each off a lefty — have been two at-bats supervisor Aaron Boone was blissful to see regardless of the lackluster week.
“He’s such a key a part of our lineup,” Boone mentioned. “He’s, particularly once we face these proper handed pitchers now, he’s the man that’s hidden behind Decide. His at-bats are massive. He’s hit slightly little bit of a tough patch, however that’s what it’s. It’s a tough patch, and he’s too good a hitter to not come out of it and hopefully tonight is the beginning of that.”