Voit, Torres homer to help force Game 5
SAN DIEGO — The New York Yankees didn’t flinch under the pressure of an elimination game and got the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay into the hands of ace Gerrit Cole for the decisive Game 5.
Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres hit impressive home runs, Jordan Montgomery and three relievers were brilliant in combining on a three-hitter, and the Yankees beat the Rays 5-1 on Thursday night to even the best-of-five series at 2-2.
The Yankees bounced back from consecutive losses against their AL East rivals to set up a showdown between Cole and Tyler Glasnow on Friday night.
Asked the Yankees’ mentality for Game 5, Voit said, “We’re going to win it.”
And with Cole on the mound, “We’re locked and loaded,” Voit said.
Cole, backed by four home runs, won 9-3 in the series opener Monday and will be pitching on short rest for the first time in his big league career. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the decision was made when he passed his ace Thursday and made eye contact.
“Hey, give me the ball,” he remembered Cole saying.
Cole said he took inspiration from watching CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Dallas Keuchel carry teams on short rest.
“When the lights turn on, it doesn’t matter if it’s three, four, five, six, seven days,” said Cole, who left the Astros in the offseason and joined the Yankees on a $324 million, nine-year contract. “It’s a special opportunity.”
Cole will be pitching about 100 miles south of where he grew up a Yankees fan in Newport Beach.
Glasnow will be starting on two days’ rest after throwing 93 pitches over five innings and striking out 10 in winning Game 2.
It’s a rematch of last year’s ALDS Game 5 between the Astros and Tampa Bay. Cole pitched eight innings of one-run ball for the Astros in a 5-1 victory. Glasnow was pulled after eight outs and four runs.
“We’ve seen him,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “I think we know him a little bit better now. We know he’s a talented pitcher, and he’ll be dialed up I would anticipate just like he is on regular rest. We’ve got to come out and have good at-bats against him just like we have in the past.”
Voit speculated that Glasnow would be used as an opener and be followed by Game 1 starter Blake Snell.
The Game 5 winner will remain in San Diego to face the Astros in the AL Championship Series starting Sunday night.
The Yankees are trying to reach the ALCS for the third time in four seasons following eliminations by the Astros at that stage in 2017 and last season. The Rays are trying to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2008, when they made it to their only World Series.
Voit, who led the majors with 22 homers in the pandemic-shortened season, led off the second by driving a 1-0 pitch from Rays opener Ryan Thompson into left field for his first career postseason shot.
Torres one-upped his teammate when he deposited a two-run homer onto the balcony on the fourth floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner, the centerpiece of the downtown ballpark. That came on the first pitch he saw from Ryan Yarbrough and put the Yankees ahead 4-1 with one out in the sixth.
It was Torres’ first this postseason and fifth of his career, tying Mickey Mantle for the most playoff homers for a Yankees player 23 or younger.