CLEVELAND — Gleyber Torres is bringing sudden excellence to the World Series.
Torres led off the first and sixth innings with singles on Saturday, continuing to be the Yankees' ideal leadoff hitter midway through his seventh MLB season.
After being thrown to home plate for the first out of the game, Torres jogged the final 85 or so feet to home plate when the Yankees turned around and Giancarlo Stanton hit a game-tying two-out home run in the sixth inning. In Game 5 of the ALCS, they won 5-2 in overtime, clinching the pennant.
Torres, who has been with the Yankees since 2018, said it was “awesome” to get to the World Series with his teammates and was happy to be able to contribute from the leadoff spot.
“Just try to have a great at-bat. … I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. Just try to get on base with the whole lineup and do your part.” Torres told YES Clubhouse reporter Meredith Marokovitz. During the champagne celebration. “Try to get on base, try to generate more RBIs, and you'll get some really good at-bats.”
In the 10th overtime, Torres struck out and put two runners on base, creating a chance to take the lead, but Soto hit the winning three-run home run.
Similar to some of the Yankees' biggest wins in these playoffs, Torres and Soto started the game with back-to-back hits.
However, the formula that has proven effective in giving the Yankees an early lead in the past did not work the same way. Torres couldn't break a perfect relay from Johnkensie Noel to Andres Jimenez and catcher Bo Naylor on the warning track. .
Third base coach Luis Rojas made the decision to wave around Torres, who ran hard, instead of putting two runners in scoring position for Aaron Judge and Stanton. Although Torres ran hard, he once again showed that he is not the fastest.
Torres has been criticized throughout his career, especially for his efforts on the bases.
Jimenez's 94.4 mph was the second fastest of his career.
Because of that mistake, the Yankees had a single, a double, and two hit batters in the first inning, giving up no runs, an impossible result.
That allowed Tanner Bibby, who had just four outs in his first start of the series, to stabilize.
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The Yankees had just one hit from the time Torres was out to the start of the sixth inning, with Torres and Soto again beginning the rally with back-to-back hits.
After Aaron Judge bounced into a double play, Stanton sent Bibby's final pitch of the game to the moon.
To keep the score tied in the bottom half of the box, Torres aimed for a grounder up the middle, tagged second base and threw the ball, completing the double play all in one fluid motion.
Torres is enjoying a postseason resurgence that could be his last run as a Yankee before potentially increasing free agency.
After scoring four of the Yankees' 14 points in the ALDS against the Royals, he went 8-for-22 (.363 batting average) with five runs scored in the ALCS.
Torres said at the beginning of the series, “We're just going to do everything we can to bring a World Series here. And hopefully we can win it together.”
In Game 4, when the Yankees beat closer Emmanuel Clase for a two-run game-winning run in the ninth inning, Torres hit an RBI single into center field and was substituted for defense, an unusual move.
