HOUSTON — The Astros had Alex Verdugo run a half marathon in the left field seats and hit the ball nonstop over four games.
Some he tracked and some came up slightly in a dive.
But the Yankees left fielder had the last laugh Sunday.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, with runners on the corners and two outs and the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead, Verdugo lunged and made a sliding catch on Kyle Tucker’s sinking liner, clinching a 4-3 victory. It put an end to this. Astros.
“That felt pretty good,” Verdugo said. “I made a good jump and had a good route to get there. The loft was a little higher here. It was still a little low in the middle. This series I missed a little bit, I took my gloves off. I felt much more comfortable watching the series coming away from it. The others were a bit more of a do-or-die, full layout. That time, I had time to catch baskets.”
When the ball left Tucker’s bat, Aaron Boone’s first instinct was that it was going to fall.
“When I looked up, he was tracking it and I almost knew I had it,” Boone said. “It felt like a hot dog, a little more even. I liked it.”
As the Yankees finished sweeping the Astros, Verdugo jumped up from a slide and flexed, and Aaron Judge and Juan Soto flexed at him across the outfield.
“I took Judge and Soto there.” [barking], so we’re just excited and we love it,” Verdugo said. “That’s kind of what we’re dealing with. We’re the dudes here.”
The highlight-reel catch capped off a strong defensive series for Verdugo, which was especially notable considering the Yankees’ left wing situation last season.
They cycled through 10 different left fielders and combined for a minus-14 defensive run against, which tied for the worst mark in the majors at the position.
Verdugo didn’t reach every ball hit to left field at Minute Maid Park, but he gave a strong effort each time and was “phenomenal” defensively, Boone said.
“Honestly, it was a lot of fun,” Verdugo said. “I’m looking forward to making plays and helping the pitching staff. Even in tough games where things didn’t go my way, the pitchers and everyone said to me, ‘Oh, we love that hustle, we love that heart. I love you,” he affirms in a positive manner. It made me want to go out there and keep working harder and play for the players. ”
