Inside The Pinstripes

Gleyber Torres Owns Up to Costly Misplay at Shortstop

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres owned up to his mistake in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles, allowing an infield single on a routine ground ball

Max Goodman

NEW YORK — Off Kelvin Gutierrez's bat, the ground ball to shortstop looked like a routine play. Other Yankees defenders started jogging toward the first-base dugout, thinking the inning was about to end.

After gathering and shuffling two times, however, Gleyber Torres' throw to Anthony Rizzo at first base wasn't in time. Gutierrez, the Orioles' speedy third baseman, had beat it out.

In a vacuum, that play in the sixth inning on Sunday afternoon was frustrating for New York, but tolerable. A two-out infield single can only hurt you so much. The problem is, Yankees right-hander Albert Abreu allowed a two-run home run to Baltimore's outfielder Cedric Mullins just five pitches later.

Instead of a 5-2 ballgame heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Orioles were gifted an opportunity to make it a one-run game. Considering New York went on to lose 8-7—dropping two in a row against the worst team in the American League—that play by Torres stings even more.

"It's a ground ball to short. We've got to make that play," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, not hiding his frustration after the brutal loss. "Looking back at it, I thought he moved his feet properly, he moved through it, but then—on a wet day, making sure he had the proper grip—ultimately took too much time in that spot."

When Torres stopped by the Yankees Zoom room moments after his skipper, he acknowledged that the field was wet on a rainy day in the Bronx. Torres wanted to make sure he didn't deliver an errant throw, securing a better grip on the damp baseball. 

That's no excuse, though. The 24-year-old owned up to the misplay, taking too long to throw to first. 

"It's my mistake in that situation," Torres said. 

Torres went 2-for-4 with two runs on offense during Sunday's loss, finding a rhythm at the plate since returning from a lengthy stay on the injured list with a sprained thumb. Even with the promising effort on offense, surely that play on defense will stick with him when his club ended up losing by one run.

"If I made my play, Abreu would have finished the inning clean," Torres explained. "After my mistake. Mullins hit a home run. I feel like everything is on me in that inning."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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