New York Sweeps Baltimore In Doubleheader
Instead of one game to begin the week New York and Baltimore played a doubleheader on Monday with New York winning both games in the Bronx.
- “Obviously, he's killed us all year. We are supposed to be making better pitches to him or not let him beat us, and we continue to throw the ball in the middle of the plate.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
You know a player’s having a pretty good season when the opposing manager -- in this case Baltimore's Brandon Hyde -- has that to say after the game. But it wasn’t just the three home runs Gleyber Torres hit across the two games of the Yankees' doubleheader sweep Monday at Yankee Stadium, including two in New York's 11-8 victory in the second contest. It’s the 13 homers he’s hit against the Orioles this year -- out of 26 total. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
Maybin, of course, has a slightly different perspective on those home runs than Hyde does. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
There are a lot of stats surrounding what Torres has done so far this season, both against the Orioles and overall. To recap the most notable of those: “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• The 13 homers vs. the Orioles this season are the most by a player against a single opponent in the divisional era (since 1969). “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• The 13 homers vs. the Orioles are tied for the second most by a player against a single opponent in a season in MLB history (record is Lou Gehrig's 14 vs. Cleveland in 1936). “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• Torres is the first player since Roger Maris in 1961 vs. the White Sox -- his record-setting season -- with 13 homers against a single opponent in a season. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• Torres’ five multihomer games vs. the Orioles are the most by a player in a season against a single opponent. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• With 50 career homers, he’s the third-youngest Yankees player to reach that mark. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• Torres is the youngest player in American League history to reach 8 career multihomer games.
• The second-year player has surpassed his rookie-year homer total of 24. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
• Torres is the first player since Mike Schmidt (1983 vs. the Expos) to homer in both games of a doubleheader twice against the same team in the same season. Torres also homered in both games of a twin bill vs. the Orioles on May 15. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
It’s easy to forget that Torres is recently removed from a core muscle injury that kept him out of four games last week. Monday’s games were his second and third back from that injury, which did not require an injured-list stint. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
“Obviously, missing a couple days there with the injury, and then getting him back in Toronto, I thought he had a couple at-bats over there on that last day that kind of just missed,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “And then really clips the first [homer] in the day game and then two really good ones [at night], and being three-run homers, [we] needed it. So great day for Gleyber and hopefully really getting him back into the flow.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
He certainly seemed to be in the flow on Monday. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
“Every time I go to home plate, I have the same plan, and I take all the opportunities that gives me, and I just do damage,” Torres said. “The most important [part] of every home run is I just helped my team.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
And remember, Torres and the Yankees still have two games left against the Orioles this season. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
The one thing missing from the day? Perhaps a third home run in the second game -- and fourth overall on the day. Torres strode to the plate with two runners on and third base empty in the eighth inning with two outs, and the Orioles chose to intentionally walk him, drawing boos from the crowd. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
“Well, we're not supposed to pitch to him anyways -- or be careful with him,” Hyde said when asked about the intentional walk. “And instead of being careful with him, we're throwing the ball in the middle. So I just didn't want to see it anymore.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
Torres said he was a little surprised but not disappointed, and he was glad to take the walk. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
“It was a little unorthodox, but it worked in that scenario,” Boone said. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
But even without that final at-bat, the numbers Torres has racked up against the Orioles have been record breaking, notable and plentiful. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
“He's obviously a very talented player, and he's gonna kill mistakes,” Hyde said. “When we were facing him at home, we did a better job pitching to him, and today we just did not. He's just a really talented guy obviously. He's got a ton of tools and a bright future. We're making him look like a first-ballot Hall of Famer.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
Torres is still 22 years old, and the Hall of Fame won’t be calling any time soon. But he finds himself among Hall of Famers daily in the names he passes on various lists as he continues to set records. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/gleyber-torres-keeps-hitting-homers-vs-orioles
Meanwhile Baltimore was swept by New York in the doubleheader.
Brandon Hyde has known Gleyber Torres for years, since Torres was a teenager in the Cubs’ system and Hyde an instructor there, so to see Torres rake is nothing new. But by the end of Monday’s grueling doubleheader sweep to the Yankees, the Orioles’ skipper “kind of had enough.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
So in the late innings of their 11-8 loss in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, nearly 17 games into their season-long tormenting at Torres’ hands, Hyde decided to just avoid him. Never mind the Orioles were already down five at the time, or that the only base open was third. Hyde threw up four fingers. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
“The Barry Bonds treatment,” Hyde said. “Maybe it’s something personal he has [against me].” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
In Hyde’s retelling, he had little choice but to direct Tom Eshelman to intentionally walk Torres, and the numbers make it hard to argue. Torres had already connected for three-run homers off Evan Phillips in the fifth inning and Eshelman in the sixth, his second and third of Monday’s doubleheader and 12th and 13th against Baltimore this season. The Yankees infielder is one of just six players in MLB history to hit at least 13 homers in a single season against a single opponent, and now stands just one shy of Lou Gehrig’s all-time mark against Cleveland in 1936. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
“Well, we’re not supposed to pitch to him anyways, or be careful with him,” Hyde said. “And instead of being careful with him, we’re throwing the ball in the middle. So I just didn’t want to see it anymore.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
After the game, Eshelman and catcher Chance Sisco were quick to note the gamble -- unconventional as it was -- worked. With Torres avoided, Eshleman induced an inning-ending grounder from Brett Gardner to strand the bases loaded and keep the Orioles within enough striking distance to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth. They did so via an offense that continues to claw back consistently despite steep deficits, with contributions coming Monday night from Trey Mancini (two-run homer), Hanser Alberto (three hits, three-run homer) and Rio Ruiz (three RBIs). “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
Eshelman blamed himself for allowing Torres’ second homer of the nightcap to stretch the lead in the sixth, but he’s far from the only Orioles hurler -- Phillips, Game 1 starter Gabriel Ynoa included -- to fall victim to Torres’ historic stretch. The Orioles have now dropped 14 straight games to the Yankees. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
“I wanted to get my revenge a little bit, but [Hyde] is our manager for a reason,” Eshelman said. “He made the right decision and we got out of the inning. That’s why he’s getting paid for that position, because he’s being smart as opposed to being competitive. That’s what he has to do.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
In referencing Bonds, Hyde was citing the famous example from May 28, 1998, when D-backs manager Buck Showalter intentionally walked Bonds with the bases loaded. But Torres has actually been better than even peak Bonds against the Orioles this season, in a small sample. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
Torres is now hitting .414/.485/1.138 with 20 runs scored and 20 RBIs against the Orioles in 2019, his five multihomer games the most by any player in a season against a single opponent. Torres is the third player to be walked intentionally this year with runners on at least first and second and two outs. The others? Mike Trout and Christian Yelich. “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
Per the advanced metric Win Probability Added, the Orioles’ chance of winning Monday actually remained exactly the same before and after walking Torres.”according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
“I mean, it’s crazy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But I think guys typically have success against one team for whatever reason. Gleyber has obviously had a lot of success against them.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
Said Hyde: “He’s obviously a very talented player, and he’s gonna kill mistakes. When we were facing him at home, we did a better job pitching to him. And today we just did not. He’s a really talented guy, with a ton of tools and a bright future. We’re making him look like a first-ballot Hall of Famer.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/trey-mancini-a-bright-spot-for-o-s-against-yanks
New York and Baltimore are supposed to play game three of their four game series on Tuesday night however mother nature could be the deciding factor as to if they get the game in or not.