Alex Verdugo taunts Fenway Park after homering in first return game

Throughout the week with the first New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox matchup of the 2024 season, there has been a lot of talk about now-Yankees and former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo making his first return to Fenway Park for the first matchup against his former team.

For the most part, Verdugo seemed to be a mature good sport in handling all of the questions he received. He was complimentary of the Red Sox organization and his time there, though he did take some shots at the former front office regime and their lack of activity, something most fans in Boston likely had to agree with.

But once the first pitch of the series came across the dish, Verdugo quickly turned from former player making a kind return to a villain inside Fenway Park.

Alex Verdugo homers in return to Fenway, taunts Red Sox fans

It started when Verdugo took the first pitch he saw from Brayan Bello and tattooed it 406 feet to dead-center over the wall for a monster two-run home run. But he then added insult to injury with a fired-up trot around the bases as he looked at the Red Sox fans in the crowd and told them this was his house and continued to taunt the now-opposing fans as he crossed home plate to give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.

Verdugo was a bit of a lightning rod for controversy throughout his time with Boston, whether it was questions about his effort, clashes with Alex Cora and the front office, or any given thing. That's ultimately likely what led to him being traded to the Yankees this offseason in a rare trade between the two rivals after the Red Sox acquired Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals.

But over most of that time, Red Sox fans continued to support Verdugo and believe him. And while Verdugo had no real say as to which team he was trade to, the fact that he's now playing for the Evil Empire and taunting the fans in Fenway Park as he did immediately on Friday night makes it sting even more keenly than it otherwise would.