Former Dodgers star Alex Verdugo enters World Series with mixed emotions but extra motivated for Yankees win

The first transportation of nan highly anticipated World Series matchup betwixt nan New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for coming astatine 8:08 p.m. ET.

Alex Verdugo will put connected pinstripes this evening, but the Yankees star's jog to nan Dodger Stadium outfield will apt bring backmost memories of his clip pinch nan Dodgers.

Verdugo made his MLB debut pinch the Dodgers successful 2017. By each accounts, Verdugo's three-year tally pinch nan Dodgers was successful. But nan squad included him successful a waste and acquisition that sent him to nan Boston Red Sox successful speech for Mookie Betts successful 2020.

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New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo connected nan section during a workout astatine Dodger Stadium successful Los Angeles Oct. 24, 2024. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)

"I was upset. I was beautiful clear I didn’t want to spell anywhere," Verdugo told reporters Thursday. "I understood it from a business facet and each that, but I was beautiful wounded by it."

MLB GREAT DETAILS WHERE YANKEES HAVE ADVANTAGE OVER DODGERS IN WORLD SERIES

Looking backmost connected really things transpired a fewer years agone could supply Verdugo immoderate other information for nan World Series.

"You want to win, and you want to benignant of show them, ‘Hey, you guys sewage free of me, and possibly it wasn’t nan correct decision,’" he said. 

While Verdugo has competed against nan Dodgers aggregate times since nan trade, Friday night's crippled will beryllium his first pinch a visiting squad astatine Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles Dodgers halfway fielder Alex Verdugo hits a double successful nan sixth inning against nan Colorado Rockies astatine Coors Field successful Denver, Colo., July 31, 2019. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)

Verdugo acknowledged he will person mixed emotions Friday.

"It’s typical to yet get backmost here, to play successful beforehand of this crowd," he said. "This instrumentality guidelines showed maine thing but love. … It’s going to consciousness bully to travel retired here, play successful beforehand of nan Dodgers crowd again. Just consciousness that atmosphere. That was 1 point astir playing here.

"I spell done this successful my mind a fewer times. Part of maine wants to get a small spot of, ‘Hey, man, invited back,’ and past it’s like, ‘All right, it’s nan World Series, we’re going to boo you.’ We’ll see. At nan extremity of nan day, I still emotion this palace. Nothing is going to alteration that — that emotion erstwhile I was here." 

New York Yankees near fielder Alex Verdugo answers questions connected media time anterior to Game 1 of nan World Series against nan Los Angeles Dodgers astatine Dodger Stadium successful Los Angeles Oct. 24, 2024. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)

After a four-year stint pinch nan Red Sox, Verdugo landed pinch nan Yankees successful December.

Verdugo overcame a sluggish September and has played good lately. He expressed appreciation for nan Yankees sticking pinch him during his struggles and credited head Aaron Boone for giving him nan assurance he needed.

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"Obviously, for me, I thought it was nan correct decision," nan 28-year-old Verdugo said. "For [Boone] to benignant of instrumentality pinch his guys and spell pinch acquisition was large for me. He gave maine nan assurance I needed to travel through, get a mates of large hits present and location and a mates of cardinal RBIs."

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