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

The first performance of the long-awaited one World series The matchup between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET.

Alex Verdugo will wear pinstripes this evening, but Yankees The star’s run onto the field at Dodgers Stadium will likely bring back memories of his time with the Dodgers.

Verdugo made his MLB debut Dodgers in 2017. Everything indicates that Verdugo’s three-year adventure with the Dodgers was a success. However, the team included him in the trade that sent him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Mookie Betts in 2020.

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“I was nervous. I made it clear that I didn’t want to go anywhere,” Verdugo told reporters on Thursday. “I understood it from a business perspective and all that, but it hurt me a lot.”

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Looking back at events from a few years ago may provide Verdugo with additional motivation to make a run at the World Series.

“You want to win and kind of show them, ‘Hey, you guys got rid of me and maybe it wasn’t the right decision,'” he said.

Although Verdugo has faced the Dodgers multiple times since the trade, Friday’s game will be his first with a visiting team at Dodger Stadium.

Verdugo admitted he will have mixed feelings on Friday.

“It’s special to finally come back here and play in front of a crowd like this,” he said. “This fan base has shown me nothing but love.… It will be good to come here and play in front of a Dodgers crowd again. Just feel the atmosphere. Playing here is one thing.

“I go through it several times in my mind. Part of me wants to hear something like, ‘Hey man, welcome back,’ and then I say, ‘Okay, it’s the World Series, we’ll be there to boo you. We’ll see. Ultimately, I still love this palace. Nothing will change this – this feeling when I was here.

After four years of work in Red SoxVerdugo joined the Yankees in December.

Verdugo overcame a poor September and has been performing well recently. He expressed gratitude for the Yankees who stuck with him through his struggles and praised manager Aaron Boone for giving him the confidence he needed.

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“Obviously I think it was the right decision,” Verdugo, 28, said. “For (Boone) to stick with his guys and gain experience was big for me. He gave me the confidence I needed to move on, hit a few good hits here and there and a few key RBIs.”

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