McAdam: A fiery Alex Verdugo saves one game, wins another

It's Alex Verdugo's nature to supply a lot of energy on the field.

Even during the nightmarish 2020 Red Sox season, with zero fans and not many more wins, Verdugo did his best to breathe some life into the club. In an empty ballpark one August night, he let out a war cry when he took away a homer in front of the bullpen against the Toronto Blue Jays and the jubilant noise echoed around Fenway -- and into the few New England living rooms still bothering to watch on TV.

On many nights, Verdugo's unrestrained spirit seemed to be about the only thing full of life for the last-place Sox.

This year, it's different. Fans -- however limited -- are returning to the ballpark, supplying their own beautiful noise after a season of piped-in, artificial cheers. And, of course, the Red Sox, following a brief stumble in the season's opening weekend, are roaring, winners of nine straight.

Verdugo remains unchanged. He still practically radiates at times. He's not above a quick glance to the dugout when he delivers a big hit, just to see the reaction of his teammates.

"For me, I've always been an emotional player,'' acknowledged Verdugo. "Whether it's good or bad, I like to show some emotions. When we come through and we make big plays or score some runs or take the lead or something like that, those are big moments and kind of game-changers. So for me, I get fired up.''

On Wednesday, it was all good, every last bit of it, as Verdugo seemed to make it his mission for the Sox to pull of a sweep of the Minnesota Twins.



In the opener, with the Sox suddenly clinging precariously to a 3-2 lead and the potential tying run on second base against Matt Barnes, he raced in to make a diving catch on a sinking liner off the bat of infielder Luis Arraez. Timing his lunge perfectly, Verdugo sprawled face first, snaring the ball an inch off the ground, then holding it up to provide proper documentation.

It was a brilliant catch, and immediately invited comparisons to the catch turned in by Andrew Benintendi for the final out of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in Houston. An April regular-season win is no match for a game that left the Sox one game shy of winning the pennant, but it felt pretty remarkable nonetheless.

Verdugo had a premonition just before the ball headed toward him in left.

"It was actually weird because it was one of those plays you think about it right before it happens,'' he said following the 3-2 win, "and it just so happens it was exactly what I had thought about. I knew the hitter, knew that he'd been hitting line drives that way and likes to go oppo, so I was already on edge, knowing that Barnesy was throwing hard and was going to go after him.

"It was one of those ones, man. It kind of manifested in my mind, we made the play and held onto it.''

Two innings earlier, Verdugo, who had started the game in center field, was shifted to left when manager Alex Cora pinch-hit Enrique Hernandez for left fielder Franchy Cordero. Hernandez took over in center and Verdugo took Cordero's place. That made it all the more serendipitous.

In the nightcap, Verdugo's contributions came with the bat. In the fifth inning, after the Sox had chased Twins starter Jose Berrios, Verdugo came to the plate with the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1, as determined as could be.

"I was not going to let him beat me,'' said Verdugo. "I had a pretty good swing at his curveball and then I had a good swing at his fastball, so I saw both his pitches. At that point, with two strikes, I was like, 'Hey, we gotta go. Whatever pitches you get, you threw the head at it, barrel it up and whatever happens, happens.' He threw me a heater in, I was able to shoot it to right center. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.''

On his way down the line, Verdugo made sure to look over his shoulder to the third-base dugout to gauge how his teammates were feeling. They were, predictably, already celebrating wildly.

Finally, in the seventh inning, Verdugo lined a bullet to right field for a solo homer, closing out the scoring in the Red Sox' 7-1 win.

Under any circumstances, Verdugo's passion can be contagious. But now that the Red Sox are experiencing success, it's doubly so.

"Winning is fun,'' said Verdugo. "We're all competitors. We all want to go out there and win. It's one of those things where, if you go 0-for-4 and you don't have the best day, but your teammates pick you up and you get a W, you get to breathe. It's not as stressful. When you go 0-for-4 and you're losing constantly, it's a constant grind. You're like, 'God....'

"So to come out here and win some ballgames and actually be at the top of the standings ... I love it, I love it. I love this group of guys, I love this team. We're playing like we felt like we can in spring training and now it's coming.''