Yanks' Verdugo 'fired up' after crushing home run in return to Fenway - ESPN

BOSTON — Alex Verdugo had a two-run homer and four RBIs in his return to Fenway Park, and Luis Gil struck out six as the MLB-leading New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 8-1 on Friday night.

Verdugo spent four seasons with the Red Sox before being traded to New York in December in a rare deal between the AL East division rivals.

«To come over here, do what we did as a team and obviously the swing that I put on in the first to give us the lead, it was a big moment,» Verdugo said. «It felt like a lot of relief for me, and also just a lot of anticipation for this matchup.

»It was pure adrenaline, just fired up. Wasn't really expecting to swing at the first pitch and to put it out of the ballpark and give us the early 2-0 lead was big. I kind of let a little yell out when I rounded first, and when I hit second, I saw my dugout going crazy, so I just kind of lost it again."

Verdugo hit the first pitch he saw from Boston right-hander Brayan Bello to straightaway center field for his ninth homer of the season, scoring Juan Soto, who reached on a double. The 28-year-old right fielder added an RBI double in the fifth inning and a run-scoring single in the ninth.

«That's really impressive,» Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. «I've been there, where you go back and play, and from my experience, it's odd, it's hard to normalize things. He was very calm before the game. In my mind, maybe he was a little nervous. But, he came right out and delivered a punch on the first pitch and didn't stop. Pretty impressive performance, knowing it meant a lot to him.»

Verdugo's 4 RBIs are tied for the most by any player in a game against Boston this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Gil (9-1) worked five innings, giving up one run