New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo had quite the homecoming Friday night.
In his return to Fenway Park for a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox for the first time since being traded to the Yankees this offseason, Verdugo dominated.
There certainly was a fire within him, evident from his inspired home run trot on a two-run blast in the first inning. Giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, New York never looked back after that.
MORE: Yankees' Alex Verdugo fired up on home run trot in return to Fenway
Leading the way to an 8-1 win in the first matchup between these two rivals, Verdugo helped the Yankees become the first team in MLB to reach 50 wins.
Here's our recap from the Yankees' dominant 8-1 win at Fenway on Friday night:
Yankees vs Red Sox game results final box score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| NYY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| BOS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
Yankees vs Red Sox takeaways, highlights
Dugie's big night
Hitting from the fourth spot and playing right field for the first time this season, Verdugo was a certified dawg. He led the way with three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning. He added an RBI double in the fourth inning capped his stellar night with an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning.
Alex Verdugo is doing whatever he wants while the fans boo hahahaha pic.twitter.com/yVyn8LJavX
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 15, 2024
Verdugo said after the game that he had this series circled on his calendar, and he came through in a big way for the Yankees.
Another strong start Luis Gil
It may not have been the totally dominant performance Gil has been putting together for the majority of his rookie season, but it certainly was enough to keep the Red Sox at bay. Gil tossed 5.0 innings, allowing one run, four hits and four walks while striking out six.
The 26-year-old generated 13 swings and misses but made a slight change to his approach. Gil relied solely on his fastball and changeup combination, accounting for 97 of his 104 pitches. He threw just seven sliders during his five innings.
Anthony Rizzo finding his groove?
After getting two days off earlier in the week to clear his head, Rizzo may be finding his groove again. The left first baseman notched two hits Friday for the first time since May 31, driving in a run and adding a walk to his line.
With the trade deadline approaching, Rizzo needs to continue stringing together strong days to prove to the front office that they don't need to make an upgrade at first base.
First to 50
With this win, the Yankees became the first to 50 wins in MLB this season. Entering Saturday, they own the best record in MLB at 50-22 and have won 13 of their last 16 games. They still hold the best record on the road thus far with a 28-12 record away from Yankee Stadium.
For more Yankees coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
