It was all set up for Alex Verdugo.
He watched Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and J.D. Davis all take walks to start the second game of the Subway Series on Wednesday.
It was a chance to get an early jump on the Mets after they got the best of the Yankees just the night before.
With only one out, Verdugo seemingly was too hungry for it.
He swung at the first pitch — a 94 mph sinker — only to ground into a double play to end the opening frame of the Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the Mets, who swept the Subway Series at Citi Field, after an 87-minute rain delay.
“It was right down the middle,” Verdugo told The Post with a laugh. “Just didn’t stay through it enough. I didn’t stay inside the ball enough. I kind of got around it. Hit it somewhat hard but obviously hit it on the ground right to a guy and, you know, a double play, which was very costly.
“But really, the pitch decision on that one, I’m not mad about at all. It’s right down the middle and I would swing at that pitch 100 out of 100 times. It’s a good pitch. I just felt like I didn’t really stay inside of it enough.”
It was another game that the Yankees have yet to see the Verdugo who went on a revenge tear earlier this month in Boston, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday but grounding into two double plays.
The second double play came after Judge hit a single and Davis walked in the top of the fourth inning with the Yankees trailing, 3-0.
“These guys are always going to be on base. It’s either they’re on base or they just cleaned up the bases,” Verdugo said of batting behind Judge and Juan Soto. “Where I hit in the lineup — four, five — it’s a really good spot for RBIs. Really good spot to do something. We just got to ride out our struggles and do our best to kind of keep having quality ABs.”
A single in his third at-bat came after he had been 2-for-33 since June 15 — the day after he went 3–for-5 against the Red Sox with a homer, double and four RBIs.
That hit, along with his single in the eighth inning — both off a lefty — were two at-bats manager Aaron Boone was happy to see despite the lackluster week.
“He’s such a key part of our lineup,” Boone said. “He is, especially when we face these right handed pitchers now, he’s the guy that’s hidden behind Judge. His at-bats are big. He’s hit a little bit of a rough patch, but that’s what it is. It’s a rough patch, and he’s too good a hitter to not come out of it and hopefully tonight is the start of that.”
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