Winning the breakup is a big part of baseball; when given the chance, make your former team regret letting you go. That’s exactly what Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner did on Saturday, lifting the Red Sox to a 8-5 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Since Day 1, Verdugo has wanted to be more […]
Winning the breakup is a big part of baseball; when given the chance, make your former team regret letting you go.
That’s exactly what Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner did on Saturday, lifting the Red Sox to a 8-5 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
Since Day 1, Verdugo has wanted to be more than the guy from the Mookie Betts trade.
Trades are a part of the baseball business, but it’s quite an unfair position in which to find oneself, dealt to one of the game’s most historic franchises in exchange for one of its most decorated homegrown stars. The pile of money Harry Frazee received from the New York Yankees in exchange for Babe Ruth never had to face repeated questions and commentary about the transaction, but Verdugo has been dissected, discussed, and compared to Betts ever since.
So when the two finally got to square off at Fenway Park this weekend, the spotlight got even brighter. Especially since both were in the leadoff spot on Friday and Saturday and starting in right field in the latter.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Betts led off with a double high off the Green Monster, and scored the first run of the contest on Amed Rosario’s single.
But Verdugo was not to be outdone. When his turn came in the bottom of the first, he sent the second pitch he saw from Dodgers starter Julio Urias 380 feet, over Betts’ head, and into the bullpen.
For the third consecutive game, Verdugo had a leadoff homer.
Throughout franchise history, six Red Sox leadoff hitters have homered in three consecutive games, including Betts, who is the only player with two such streaks (both during the 2018 season). But unlike the other five, Verdugo is the only one whose home runs were all leading off the game. He’s only the third MLB player to ever achieve this feat, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018 Braves) and Brady Anderson (1996 Orioles), who did so in four consecutive games.
“He’s been setting the tempo from the get-go these last three days,” Alex Cora lauded. “He’s in a good spot right now.”
“Really, for me, it’s just calming myself down, not trying to do to much, just get a good pitch to hit,” Verdugo explained.
Turner’s circumstances were slightly different. The Dodgers declined his club option last offseason, but the two sides negotiated for over a month.
