GLEY TO GO! ROOK’S HIT BEATS ’STROS
THE legend of Gleyber doesn’t merely grow steadily. It multiplies exponentially. Can you test a legend for illegal mythology-enhancing drugs? If you can, now would be a good time.
Goodness, Gleyber Torres. His remarkable rookie season attained yet another peak Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, as his 10th-inning, two-out single erased a pair of defensive errors and capped a thrilling, comefrom-behind, 6-5 win against the defending-champion Astros.
“You can feel him really just kind of slow it down and control the moment,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “and that’s something that stood out to me since he got here.”
After his single to right in the 10th drove home fellow rookie Miguel Andujar (who made a fielding error of his own) from second base, finishing another attack on the Astros’ eternal Achilles heel (their bullpen, naturally), Torres received a Gatorade shower from his teammates. He’ll wake up Wednesday with a phenomenal .321/.380/.596 slash line, and the 21-year-old already has two walk-off hits in his 32-game career.
“I feel so great,” Torres said. “When I come to the ballpark, I just every day try to do my job, enjoy and help my team.”
CC Sabathia, who started the game and allowed five runs in five innings, has seen the Yankees’ youth movement in full bloom for four seasons now. Asked to rank Torres among a group of ultra-promising rookies that has included Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino, Sabathia said, “He’s right up there at the top. Defensively, what he’s bringing to the plate — I had no idea. I had never seen him play. So it’s amazing to watch.”
Defensively, this did not serve as a showcase for Torres’ talents. While neither of his errors (a bad throw on George Springer’s firstinning infield single and a misplay of Yuli Gurriel’s seventh-inning grounder) cost his team a run, both forced the Yankees’ pitchers to work harder and longer, and it seemed as though five Yankees errors in total, as well as continued offensive struggles by Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton, would define a second straight loss to the ’Stros.
Instead, the resurgent Brett Gardner, who started the Yan- kees’ offensive night with a leadoff homer, slammed a game-tying, two-run, ninth-inning, oneout shot off Astros reliever Chris Devenski, setting the stage for the 10th.
For both Andujar, whose fifthinning throwing miscue opened up a two-run binge for Houston, and Torres, the mission was to shake off their negative contributions and look forward.
“Really, I feel bad for the error,” Torres said. “I think the errors happen in the game. I just try not to focus on that, change the page and start to do my job.”
Said Andujar, through an interpreter: “Me and Gleyber are al- ways talking to each other and being there for each other. ‘Let’s put that aside, have some good at-bats.’ You have to be able to do that, put that aside and look forward.”
After excellent Astros reliever Brad Peacock took the mound for the 10th and picked up two quick outs, Andujar doubled to left field. Up stepped Torres, who got notably upset when home-plate umpire Tripp Gibson called a strike on the second pitch to even the count at 1-and-1.
“I thought it was a ball. but the umpire called it a strike,” Torres said. “I don’t control that. I just take a breath and stay focused and try to do my job.”
After looking at ball two and fouling off two pitches, Torres connected on a low fastball and lined it to right field, where Springer fielded it on a bounce and tried in vain to throw out Andujar. Cue yet another celebration, as the Yankees (34-17) kept pace with the Red Sox (38-17) in the American League East.
“I just love that he kept on playing,” Boone said of Torres. “It was a tough night for him, obviously.”
And a great night, ultimately. When does the legend at least slow down? No time soon, the Yankees hope.