Boston Red Sox star outfielder Alex Verdugo has been incredible when it has mattered most this season, producing two walk-offs in April. He came up clutch once again on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The matchup has been a nightmare for the Red Sox as of late. Heading into Monday’s game, Boston had lost to Toronto seven straight times, dating back to last season.
However this matchup between the AL East rivals is the first of the season between the two teams. Verdugo and the Red Sox made it clear that this is a new year and they want to put those struggles behind them.
Monday’s game was tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Verdugo lead off the bottom of the ninth and emphatically put an end to this game with a walk-off home run to right field to send Red Sox fans home happy.
This marks the third walk-off for Verdugo and puts him in some rare company this early in the season. He becomes the third player since RBIs became official in 1920 to record three or more walk-off hits in their team’s first 30 games of the season. The other two players to do so are San Francisco Giants legend Bobby Bonds and former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones.
More importantly, the Red Sox are starting to get hot at the right time. This marks their third consecutive win and their sixth in their last ten games.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.