Alex Verdugo will be in left field when the Yankees open the ALDS against the Royals on Saturday night.

Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their AL Division Series opener. New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas…

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their AL Division Series opener.New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two-run homers in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals wasted leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to hold 2-1 and 4-3 margins. It was the first postseason game with five lead changes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.“What a game!” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.Kansas City pitchers tied their season high with eight walks, forcing in a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo lined a single off loser Michael Lorenzen. Verdugo’s hit scored Jazz Chisholm Jr., who singled leading off and stole second on a play allowed to stand following a video review.“I think we did have a really good argument that…

Aaron Boone cited Verdugo's defense in making his decision

Heroes, zeros and the full inside pitch from the Yankees' 6-5 win over the Royals in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday.

The unexpected sometimes occurs in the postseason such as a slumping player like Alex Verdugo delivering big plays for the Yankees on Saturday night against the Royals.