BOSTON -- Do you think Alex Verdugo was excited to get his first hit for the Red Sox?

After the right fielder clubbed a single to left with two outs in the fourth inning on Saturday afternoon, he started twitching his hands just an instant after he took the turn around first base.

He was signaling for the baseball, which will be a keepsake somewhere in his home.

“It’s just one of those things,” said Verdugo. “I came from the Dodgers. It’s my first hit with the Boston Red Sox. Maybe there’s many, many more. Maybe we do something special here. It’s just one of those things. I just wanted to get that ball, make sure I had that, just a little special token for me.”

The first hit was swiftly followed by two others. Verdugo roped a single to right in the sixth and another one to right in the eighth in Boston’s 7-2 loss to the Orioles on Saturday.

After the second hit, Verdugo roared around to third on a single by Jackie Bradley Jr., showcasing his speed and athleticism.

“Really good day,” said manager Ron Roenicke. “Nice to see the type of player that we think he's going to be. With the struggles with Summer Camp, not swinging the bat well, I thought the last couple of days, he did have some good swings and started being inside the ball more, which is his game. You saw it today.”

One thing you’ll quickly notice about Verdugo is that he does everything with energy, be it hitting, running the bases or talking to the media.

All of it was on display on Saturday. And in a season without fans, it stands to reason that Verdugo’s energy could be a big boost.

“I think at the plate, on the bases, first and thirds, reading dirt balls and really all that, I played my normal game today,” Verdugo said. “I just went out there relaxed, stuck with my approach and stayed within my element, and you guys got a little glimpse of it today.”

The umpires got a little glimpse of Verdugo’s fire also.

After Verdugo moved to second on a wild pitch in the eighth, the Orioles made a pitching change. Verdugo went over to talk to third-base coach Carlos Febles during the stoppage in play. Maybe he got caught up in the moment or the conversation and forgot for a second that he needed to get back to second.

But he didn’t like it when third-base umpire Mark Wegner admonished him a little.

“It was just a little miscommunication, that’s really it,” said Verdugo. “I talked to my third-base coach and we were just kind of talking a little too long, and I kind of forgot that I was at second, so I didn’t go to second and the umpire was kind of just telling me to go back to second and make sure I don’t do that again and try to get a free base.

“We had a little back-and-forth. At the end of the day, I think we’re all good. It’s baseball, heat of the moment, but we’re out there working our butts off trying our hardest, and sometimes emotions are going to flare up a little bit.”

Without question, this was an emotional day for Verdugo, who was not only making his debut after sitting on Opening Day but playing for the first time since Aug. 4, 2019, when a back injury -- which eventually turned into a stress fracture -- ended his season.

“It was definitely a long fight and a long way back,” he said. “There was a lot of ups and downs during the rehab. Even in this Summer Camp, there was just grinding, working through my swing, working through getting my back muscles [at full strength], working through getting back to opening up and firing at game speed. Today, just seeing another team, seeing someone else’s jersey out there, gives you that adrenaline to kind of lock it back in.”