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Alex Verdugo was the star performer for the New York Yankees in their nail-biting 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday. The Yankees outfielder went through extended slumps during the regular season, and he discussed the mental battle he had to overcome in the postseason.
It was a difficult season in the Bronx for Alex Verdugo after joining from the Boston Red Sox during the offseason. He had the least productive campaign at the plate since his rookie year and batted .233/.291/.356 for the season with an OPS+ of 83. Verdugo managed just 61 RBIs and 42 extra-base hits, including 13 home runs, in 149 games due to lengthy barren spells at the plate.
"Mentally, I'm pretty real with myself. Fans booing me, getting on me, I understand it," Verdugo said. "I was booing myself, too."
"We ran through a course where I just kind of let [my struggles] spiral out of control a little bit, and for me, [handling it] was leaning on my guys in the clubhouse," he continued. "They've all got my back, they all know what kind of player I am and how I've played throughout my whole career.
"They kept telling me, 'Don't let this season or this little glimpse make your whole year, you can make up for a lot of things in the playoffs,'" he added.
The strong performance of Alex Verdugo in the ALDS Game 1 adds to his short but splendid postseason record. He batted .310/.383/.452 in 11 playoff games for the Red Sox in 2021, getting 13 hits with four extra bases including a home run.
This is the kind of baseball that I love: Alex Verdugo
Alex Verdugo believes that every piece on the New York Yankees roster will need to play a part at some point during the postseason to drive the team towards the World Series. The Yankees have not reached the Fall Classic since winning it in 2009.
"It’s not going to be our big guys that are always going to come through,” Verdugo said. “It’s going to take everybody. Every at-bat, every pitch in the playoffs matters. This is the kind of baseball that I love."
The Bronx Bombers will take on the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday.
