NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo has the New York Yankees barking.
After the Yankees opened the season with a four-game sweep in Houston, the demonstrative outfielder described his new teammates as a bunch of “dawgs.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo has the New York Yankees barking.
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo (24) is congratulated by Jon Berti, center right, after hitting a home run in the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo, left, Aaron Judge, center, and Juan Soto celebrate after defeating the Miami Marlins in a baseball game, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo follows through after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
To celebrate both of his homers, Verdugo’s teammates have taken the compliment literally, barking loudly in the dugout like hungry canines.
“I love it, I love it,” Verdugo said after homering in Tuesday's night's 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Anthony Rizzo & Co. are a big league-best 10-2.
“Anytime I hear the teammates barking — I got Rizzo throwing up the little ‘Arf, arf, arf,’ so it’s a lot of fun. They’re running with it and we love it,” Verdugo said after the game, wearing a gray T-shirt that read: “Bronx Dawgs."
Verdugo hit a go-ahead home run in the second inning. After clearing the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, Verdugo was met with a barking mob in the dugout, featuring pet sounds from Giancarlo Stanton and Rizzo.
Acquired from Boston in a rare trade between the rivals, Verdugo is hitting .220 with five RBIs. Both his home runs have put the Yankees ahead.
“It’s been fun,” Verdugo said. “To hear the crowd out there barking, to see everybody kind of running with it has been a lot of fun. Who doesn’t like to bark, right?"
Verdugo made his big league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and was acquired by the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade in February 2020. He hit .264 with 13 homers, 54 RBIs and a .745 OPS for Boston last season and was benched twice by manager Alex Cora for not hustling and arriving late to the ballpark.
“It’s been a very easy transition,” Verdugo said. “Playing against a lot of these guys for a long time, I respected their careers and what they’ve done. Coming over here, they’ve done a really good job of welcoming me and letting me be me and letting me be myself. I think just with that I’m able to show my energy and be myself.”
As for what kind of dog Verdugo would be, it depends on production in any given game.
“Oh man, I don’t know," Verdugo said. "We kind of joke every day, it’s a baby chihuahua. We start with a baby bark and the more damage you do, the bass starts going a little deeper and you start turning into a big dog. So every day it’s a little dog and if you do something, it’s a big dog.”
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New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo (24) points to the sky while approaching home base after hitting a home run in the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo (24) is congratulated by Jon Berti, center right, after hitting a home run in the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo, left, Aaron Judge, center, and Juan Soto celebrate after defeating the Miami Marlins in a baseball game, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo follows through after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
HOUSTON (AP) — Floodwaters closed some Texas schools on Monday after days of heavy rains pummeled the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues including people who were standed on rooftops.
A 5-year-old boy died after riding in a car that was swept away in fast waters, authorities said.
Although forecasters expected storms to begin tapering off in southeastern Texas, high waters continued to close some roads and left residents facing lengthy cleanups in neighborhoods where rising river levels led to weekend evacuation orders.
Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues.
In one soggy area of Houston, school officials in Channelview canceled classes and said a survey of their employees found many of them had experienced circumstances that would prevent them from coming to work.
“These folks have suffered much, people," Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said Sunday during a Facebook livestream as he rode a boat through a rural flooded neighborhood. Partially submerged cars and street signs peeked above the water around him.
Areas near Lake Livingston, located northeast of Houston, received upwards of 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain over the past week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said.
In Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, a 5-year-old boy died when he was swept away after the vehicle he was riding in became stuck in swift-moving water near the community of Lillian just before 2 a.m. Sunday, an official said.
The child and two adults were trying to reach dry ground when they were swept away. The adults were rescued around 5 a.m. and taken to a hospital, while the child was found dead around 7:20 a.m. in the water, Johnson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Moore wrote in a social media post.
Storms brought 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain in a span of six to eight hours in some areas from central Texas to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Stalley said.
Since last week, storms have forced numerous high-water rescues in the Houston area, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.
Greg Moss, 68, stayed put in his recreational vehicle on Sunday after leaving his home in the community of Channelview in eastern Harris County near the San Jacinto River. A day earlier, he had packed up many of his belongings and left before the road to his home flooded.
“I would be stuck for four days,” Moss said. “So now at least I can go get something to eat.”
Moss moved his belongings and vehicle to a neighbor’s home, where he planned to stay until the waters recede. The floodwaters had already gone down by a couple of feet and he wasn’t worried his home would flood because it’s located on higher ground, Moss said Sunday.
Stengle reported from Dallas and Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report.
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A heron stands as water flows over N. Houston Road, making the road impassible on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Humble, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Dorothy and Earl Blevins' temporary home sits off its foundation after it was moved by flooded water and into the new home they are building on property once owned by Dorothy's mother on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. "We've never flooded like this," said Dorothy. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Clouds amass over power lines follow days of storms on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Humble, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Dorothy Blevins dries out photos from her home after it was flooded by the East Branch San Jacinto River on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. "These mean the most to me, everything else can be replaced," she said. Two weeks ago, her husband, Earl, closed their storage rental and put everything in their new home. "The timing of this is terrible," he said. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A mobile home in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, is surrounded by flood waters caused by the nearby San Jacinto River, which overflowed due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
A mobile home in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, is surrounded by flood waters caused by the nearby San Jacinto River, which overflowed due to heavy rainfall earlier this week. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
A mailbox is partially submerged on a flooded street in an unincorporated area in east Harris County near Houston on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024. The nearby San Jacinto River, overflowing due to heavy rainfall earlier this week, caused the flood waters. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
Overflow from the swollen Trinity River fills James Smart's backyard as wades the floodwaters to make preparations to his chicken coup to ensure the safety of his livestock, Sunday, May 5, 2024, near Liberty, Texas. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Alvaro Trevino pulls a canoe with Jennifer Tellez and Ailyn, 8, after they checked on their home on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Spendora, Texas. The family has lived on the property in a rental trailer for two years. "It's really bad," said Tellez, who says they stayed dry during the most recent flooding in February. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)
