It’s not often that a player gets as many as six at-bats in a single game. For that to happen, the game usually needs to be a blowout or go into extra innings, giving players additional opportunities at the plate. On Tuesday night, the latter scenario unfolded for Alex Verdugo and the New York Yankees in their 12-inning showdown against the Cleveland Guardians.
Despite entering the night with a season batting average of .233, Verdugo, a career .273 hitter, failed to record a single hit in six chances at the plate. The Yankees ultimately fell 9-5 to the Guardians, with Verdugo leaving four runners on base.
The Guardians didn’t hesitate to pitch to Verdugo, who struggled throughout the night. He grounded out four times, flew out once, and struck out once. His hardest-hit ball was a grounder to second base with an exit velocity of 105.1 mph, but it didn’t find its way through the defense. Aside from that, the quality of contact he made offered little promise.
The 2024 season has been a challenging one for Verdugo, and Yankees fans, known for their passion, didn’t hold back their disappointment after his 0-for-6 outing. However, Verdugo wasn’t the only target of their frustration. DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres, the Yankees’ lead-off hitter, also went hitless in the game.
“Alex Verdugo went 0-6 tonight and only hit the ball out of the infield one time. Just wanted to make sure he didn’t get lost in the mess of a game we just saw,” wrote @rational_yankee on X (formerly Twitter).
“Verdugo’s slash line over his last 30 games: .198/.268/.264. But you know, service time for JDomm is more important than winning ballgames,” another fan remarked, highlighting the growing frustration among the fanbase.
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