Yankees

Gleyber slides into home. Twitter NYY

The New York Yankees had the opportunity to clinch the AL-East division on Tuesday as they faced rivals Baltimore Orioles in the opening game of the three-game series. However, a mind-boggling blunder from second baseman Gleyber Torres proved to be costly as the Orioles stole away a playoff berth.

Captain Aaron Judge was finally hot again as he hit his 56th season home run to add crucial runs to the board. The Orioles’ lead was further diminished by Juan Soto’s clutch RBI. However, Gleyber Torres had an absolute brain fade moment, leading to a 5-3 loss, and the team’s cover-up was even more painful for the fans.

Juan Soto Protection Led To Gleyber Torres’ Basepath Error?

Yankees, Gleyber TorresJASON SZENES/NEW YORK POST
The Baltimore Orioles clinched a playoff spot with a dramatic 5-3 win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, capitalizing on a costly baserunning mistake by Gleyber Torres. In a chaotic seventh-inning rundown, Torres was tagged out between third base and home plate. Torres took off for home because he believed Juan Soto, who had just driven in a run, was going to be out at second base. However, Soto made it safely, while Torres found himself in no-man’s land, ultimately being tagged out to end the inning. Torres, who has had a frustrating season on the basepaths, admitted fault and took accountability. Manager Aaron Boone also tried to cover up for Torres.

“I think he’s toned down some of the aggressiveness, but tonight is a case of protecting a runner, too,” Aaron Boone said. Notably, this was not an isolated incident for Gleyber Torres, who leads MLB with the most errors (18) by a second baseman and has been thrown out at the plate eight times this season. However, Boone continued to defend him, pointing out that many of his outs at home were close plays on aggressive sends. While Torres and Boone did their best to avoid the blame game, captain Aaron Judge didn’t mince his words. Judge, who homered earlier in the game for the third straight night, expressed frustration at the mistake, saying, “We can’t keep shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes like that on the basepaths.” With the Yankees trying to lock up the AL East, errors like these could prove costly down the stretch.

Aaron Judge Stars In Otherwise Frustrating Night At Bronx

Aaron Judge, YankeesCredit: Getty Images
Before Gleyber Torres’ baserunning gaffe robbed the New York Yankees of an opportunity to clinch the AL-East division, captain Aaron Judge left the fans amazed with an electric home run. He went deep in the bottom of the fourth inning to score the first run for the team. The 407-foot hit marked Judge’s 56th home run of the season.

However, the hit ended up being the cause of the loss. Regardless, Aaron Judge’s return to form after a 16-game home run drought should be celebrated. He is the anchor of the Yankees hitting lineup, and the team needs him to do his absolute best to achieve success in the playoffs. Hopefully, the Bombers will be able to clinch the division on Wednesday.