Alex Verdugo has caught the attention of the New York Yankees. After the Yankees started the season with a four-game sweep in Houston, Verdugo, an energetic outfielder, described his new teammates as a group of “dawgs.”
To mark his two home runs, Verdugo’s teammates have taken the compliment quite literally, barking loudly in the dugout like hungry dogs.
“I love it, I love it,” Verdugo said after hitting a home run in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins. The Yankees, led by Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Anthony Rizzo, and others, have the best record in the big leagues at 10-2.
“Every time I hear my teammates barking — I got Rizzo throwing up the little ‘Arf, arf, arf,’ so it’s a lot of fun. They’re running with it, and we love it,” Verdugo said after the game, sporting a gray T-shirt that said: “Bronx Dawgs.”
Verdugo’s home run in the second inning gave the Yankees the lead. After hitting the ball over the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, Verdugo was greeted by a barking crowd in the dugout, with Giancarlo Stanton and Rizzo among those making pet sounds.
Acquired from Boston in a rare trade with the rival Red Sox, Verdugo is batting .220 with five RBIs. Both of his home runs have given the Yankees the lead. “It’s been fun,” Verdugo said. “To hear the crowd out there barking, to see everybody kind of running with it has been a lot of fun. Who doesn’t like to bark, right?”
Verdugo made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and was traded to the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts deal in February 2020. He hit .264 with 13 home runs, 54 RBIs, and a .745 OPS for Boston last season but was benched twice by manager Alex Cora for not hustling and arriving late to the ballpark.
“It’s been a very easy transition,” Verdugo said. “Playing against a lot of these guys for a long time, I respected their careers and what they’ve done. Coming over here, they’ve done a really good job of welcoming me and letting me be me and letting me be myself. I think just with that, I’m able to show my energy and be myself.”
As for what type of dog Verdugo would be, it depends on his performance in any given game.
“Oh man, I don’t know,” Verdugo said. “We joke every day. It’s a baby chihuahua. We start with a baby bark, and the more damage you do, the bass starts going a little deeper, and you start turning into a big dog. So every day it’s a little dog, and if you do something, it’s a big dog.”
