Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo could become the second Mexican to raise the American League pennant with the Yankees, following his stints with the Dodgers and Red Sox.
Alex Verdugo, who just turned 28 in May, is proud to have worn the three most iconic jerseys in the major leagues. His debut in the best baseball in the world was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, in 2020 he reached the Boston Red Sox and in 2024 he first wore the jersey of the New York Yankees, the most famous team. In baseball, in which he can win his first World Series ring.
The outfielder had his only postseason experience in 2021 with the Boston Red Sox, that year the Bostonians eliminated the Yankees in the Wild Card, then beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, but fell in the Championship Series against the Houston Astros. Verdugo excelled with the bat in those playoffs as he recorded 13 hits in 11 games, a .310 average, with a home run and six RBIs.
Neither the Dodgers nor the Red Sox are teams that have made it to the World Series, despite the fact that both are institutions of great stature and have rosters with real potential to transcend in October. However, history seems to be changing now for Verdugo, who is on the team that dawned on June 5, along with the Philadelphia Phillies, with the best record in MLB, both with 44-19 (.698), and in addition, with the Yankees indulging In a fiery winning streak of seven consecutive matches.
Verdugo arrived in New York to fill holes in the outfield, especially in left field, where he has had the most action this calendar, while still offering coach Aaron Boone the possibility of positioning him in center or right, areas he already has that have also been covered in the current role. . The Mexican not only offers guarantees with the bat, but with the glove as well.
Verdugo has so far complied with those from the Bronx. He is the second batsman with the most flies in the campaign with five. He responds at zero hour, and is the sixth best producer with seven wins. Additionally, five of his eight home runs this season have given the Yankees the lead on the scoreboard. Through June 5, he had a .295 average with four doubles, three home runs and 26 RBIs with runners in scoring position. Impressive work.
No spotlight scares Verdugo. In addition to being in three highly touted Majors organizations, he was a key part of the Mexican team in the recent World Series Classic, producing four runs in six games. He is an undisputed clutch man.
Verdugo is just one of two players in the Majors who has hit fewer than 100 home runs in each of the past three seasons, from 2021-23, with at least 600 plate appearances; The other is Jose Ramirez, from the Cleveland Guardians, so the Mexican is tough to break every time he takes a turn at the bat.
Throughout the history of the major leagues, there are only a few Mexicans who have capped and won a World Series ring. With the Dodgers, only Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Victor Gonzalez and Julio Urias (both in 2020) have accomplished that; And with the Yankees only Alfredo Aceves, in the last coronation of the New Yorkers, when they raised the 27th pennant in their history in 2009, against the Phillies (in that year Ramiro Peña was not on the list).
So Verdugo will look to add his name to the golden pages of Mexican baseball with the Bronx Bombers, the best team in baseball as of June 5, which boasts a trio of fearsome hitters, the first in franchise history to have each member have at least 15 home runs. In the first 62 games of the season: Aaron Judge (21), Juan Soto (17) and Giancarlo Stanton (15); and a pitching staff led by Luis Gil, who collectively boast the best ERA in the majors (2.75 ERA), even higher than the National League leader, the Phillies (2.96 ERA).
The Yankees have made their fans dream of the 28th title in their Empire history and Verdugo wants to be a part of it, as he has everything in his favor to achieve with New York the glory that was denied him with Los Angeles’ ninth.
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