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The Yankees will be happy with the outcome, but how Gleyber Torres got there will likely only further the growing concerns surrounding his baserunning and decision-making.
The 26-year-old infielder flew around the bases to unexpectedly score from first on Giancarlo Stanton’s RBI single in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 8-4 Fourth of July win over the Orioles at The Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
The run gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead in the same inning in which they saw their 3-0 lead dissipate.
Stanton’s single — a hard-hit grounder up the middle — did not go to the wall and stayed in front of Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins, who fielded it cleanly.
But his positioning, in addition to the lackadaisical way Mullins approached the ball, prompted Torres to round third base and head home.
“I saw him with his head down at shortstop [and I said] ‘He’s going.’ Sometimes that invisibility pays off,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Very instinctive play. It gets him in trouble sometimes. If he gets thrown out at the plate you guys are asking me about it. Instead, the crowd goes wild. It’s a fine line.
“Gleyber does have a knack for doing those kinds of things because he’s fearless.”
More than an “instinctive” play, it was closer to another ill-advised play that has become common with Torres.
He ignored third-base coach Luis Rojas’ stop sign, blowing right past it as he rounded third. Mullins threw the ball into second base, seemingly not expecting Torres to try and score.
But had Mullins thrown home, replay shows Torres likely would have been out by a significant margin.
“I saw the outfielder really deep, it was [Giancarlo] Stanton hitting …” Torres said. “And I believed he was gonna throw to second. So I just took advantage. … I know [Luis] Rojas gave me the stop sign. Happy I scored, but another point, if I get out, it’s gonna be a bad situation.
“But I’m a scorer. I feel good that I scored that run.”
Torres has grown accustomed to those “bad situations.”
In the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rangers on June 25, Torres, who was on second, was doubled up while speeding around third on what was a pop-out to second base.
He made a similar mistake a few days prior when he was doubled up at first base on a fly out during the Yankees’ June 21 win over the Mariners.
Those head-scratching decisions represent the biggest flaw remaining in Torres’ game, and are perhaps preventing him from reaching another level in stature.
Boone has pushed for Torres, who added a home run and scored three runs on Tuesday, to be an All-Star selection.
“The past couple of weeks have been a struggle on the bases,” Torres said. “I’ve made a couple of outs, a couple of double plays.
“Those types of situations, I [try to] do the right thing for the team and everybody supports me.”
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