BRONX, NY — A player the New York Yankees once had might cost them a shot at an American League home-field advantage in the postseason. Tigers right-handed hitting second baseman Gleyber Torres smacked a two-run single to get Detroit’s offense going in the fifth, and never looked back after a 2-0 lead. This was a true gut-check moment for Yanks starter Carlos Rodón with two outs, bases loaded, and a full count on Torres.
Rodón went with a fastball that was past the outside corner of the strike zone, and Torres slapped it up the middle for a hit that easily scored two runs with the runners moving.
Gleyber Torres signed a one-year/$15 million deal with the Tigers this past offseason – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
You could hear a pin drop and all the excitement was sucked out of the Yankee Stadium crowd, once the ball hit the outfield grass as the Venezuelan native Torres had his revenge.
It was only a 2-0 game, but with the lack of activity from the Yankees’ offense, the game felt like it was over.
The Tigers took the first two games of the their three-game set in the Bronx against the Yankees by a combined score of 23-3 Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Though Rodón did an admirable job on the mound, pitching six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts. He was not the reason the Yankees lost the game, which now puts New York in a spot of possibly losing their chance at home-field advantage in the American League this postseason. The Yankees’ lack of offense this series and their bullpen surrendering 19 runs the past two nights will account for that.
Torres, an AL LatinoMVP Award recipient in 2019, was the first one to dent the Yankees’ bullpen with an RBI groundout against Camilo Doval to make it a 3-0 lead in the seventh. He also had a double and an RBI in the series opening 12-2 win against New York on Tuesday where he received a warm welcome back from the pinstripe faithful.
In the eighth, the floodgates opened in a similar fashion to the seventh in game one of the series on Tuesday. For Wednesday, it was home runs by Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter that put the game away. It was five runs in the eighth, then three more runs were scored in the ninth.
By the time the dust settled, it was an 11-1 loss that saw Yankees outfielder Austin Slater pitch. An Austin Wells solo home run saved the Yankees from the shutout.
Did The Yankees Make A Mistake Letting Gleyber Torres Walk This Past Offseason?
If you look at the play on the field, the answer here is a resounding yes. It took the Yankees more than three months to find a suitable third baseman once Oswaldo Cabrera was lost for the season. Signing with Detroit on a one-year/$15 million deal this past offseason left the Yankees with a vacant infield spot since Jazz Chisholm Jr. would have gone back to third base, and Torres would’ve remained at second base.
Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
The Yankees didn’t fill the void until they acquired Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon at the trade deadline this past July. Torres is also having a better season than McMahon, beating him in every category besides home runs and extra-base hits.
Torres has a .759 OPS and an fWAR of 2.5, while McMahon’s OPS is .714 with an fWAR of 1.9 in 10 more games played.
Ryan McMahon was acquired by the Yankees last month ahead of MLB’s Trade Deadline – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Additionally, Torres has provided stability and leadership in the Tigers’ infield since Javier Báez became a full-time outfielder this season, a duo who spent Wednesday’s pregame together warming up and taking ground balls in the infield.
If Torres were still on the Yankees, perhaps they would be the best team in the AL. There were base running and defensive issues for sure, but the Yankees have been far from perfect in those areas even without Torres.
What’s At Sake For AL Postseason Seeding?
The Yankees are now 3.5 games behind the Tigers for the best record in the AL, as the Tigers clinched the season series Wednesday night. They caught a few breaks last night inside of the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox both losing.
Before play on Thursday, September 11th, the Yankees hold the top AL Wild Card spot with Boston right behind them – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
This keeps the Yankees three games back from the Blue Jays and tied with the Red Sox, although the Yankees don’t own the tiebreaker over either team.
It goes without saying that the Yankees can’t afford not to salvage the third game of the series against the Tigers Thursday night, especially with a three-game set looming against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend.
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