The first pitch of the highly anticipated World Series game between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for tonight at 8:08 PM ET.

Alex Verdugo will don pinstripes tonight, but the Yankees star’s jog to the Dodger Stadium outfield will likely bring back memories of his time with the Dodgers.

Verdugo made his MLB debut with the Evaders in 2017. By all accounts, Verdugo’s three-year run with the Dodgers was successful. But the team acquired him in a trade that sent him to the Boston Red Sox in 2020 in exchange for Mookie Betts.

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New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo on the field during a workout at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Oct. 24, 2024. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)

“I was upset. I was pretty clear that I didn’t want to go anywhere,” Verdugo told reporters Thursday. “I understood it from a business aspect and all that, but I was pretty hurt by it.”

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Looking back at how things went a few years ago, Verdugo could provide some extra motivation heading into the World Series.

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

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

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Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Alex Verdugo doubles in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, July 31, 2019. (Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports)

Verdugo acknowledged he will have mixed feelings on Friday.

“It’s special to finally be back here and play in front of this crowd,” he said. “This fan base showed me nothing but love. … It’s going to be a good feeling to come out here and play in front of the Dodgers crowd again. Just feel that atmosphere. That was one thing about playing here.”

“I think about it a few times. Part of me wants to get a little ‘Hey man, welcome back,’ and then it’s like, ‘Okay, it’s the World Series, we’re going to cuss you out.’ ‘ We’ll see. In the end, I still love this palace. Nothing will change that – that feeling when I was here.

New York Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo answers questions at media day prior to Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, October 24, 2024. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)

After a four-year stint with the Red Sox, Verdugo landed with the Yankees in December.

Verdugo overcame a slow September and has been playing well lately. He expressed appreciation for the Yankees sticking with him through his struggles and credited manager Aaron Boone for giving him the confidence he needed.

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“Obviously, I thought it was the right decision,” Verdugo, 28, said. “It was important to me that (Boone) stayed with his guys and gained experience. He gave me the confidence I needed to come through, get some big hits here and there and some big RBIs.”

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