It was all set for Alex Verdugo.
He started Game 2 of the Subway Series on Wednesday and watched as Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and J.D. Davis all reached base on walks.
Since the Mets had just beaten the Yankees the night before, this was a chance for them to get an early lead.
With only one out, Verdugo seemed hungry for an at-bat.
He swung at the first pitch, a 94 mph sinker, but got into a double play and the Yankees lost to the Mets, 12-2, after an 87-minute rain interruption to end the first-round sweep of the Subway Series at Citi Field.
“It hit me right down the middle,” Verdugo told The Post with a laugh. “I just couldn’t get close enough to the ball. I couldn’t stay inside the ball. I kind of got around it. I hit it a little hard, but it obviously hit the ground and it turned into a double play. That really hurt me.”
“But I’m not mad at the call on that pitch at all. It’s a middle pitch, and I’m going to swing at it 100 times out of 100. It’s a good pitch. I just felt like it didn’t stay middle enough.”
The Yankees have yet to face Verdugo, who got his revenge at Boston earlier this month, and on Wednesday he was 2-for-4 but turned into two double plays.
With the Yankees leading 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning, Judge singled and Davis walked, resulting in a second double play.
“These guys are always on base. They’re either on base or they’re cleaning up the bases,” Verdugo said of batting behind Judge and Juan Soto. “Being fourth or fifth in the batting order where I’ve been batting is a really good spot to get RBIs. A really good spot to do something. We’re just going to work through the struggles and do our best to continue to get quality at-bats.”
The single in his third at-bat came after he was just two for 33 since June 15. The day before, he was three for five with a home run, a double and four RBIs against the Red Sox.
That hit and a single in the eighth inning, both from lefty, were two at-bats that manager Aaron Boone was pleased with despite a lackluster week.
“He’s a big part of our lineup,” Boone said. “Especially now when we’re facing right-handed pitchers, he’s a guy that’s going to be behind Judge. He’s got a big at-bat. He’s going through a little tough times, but that’s the reality of it. It’s tough times, but he’s such a good hitter that he can’t help but work through it, and hopefully tonight is the start of that.”
