New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres reached a significant milestone in his career during Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gleyber Torres, who nearly missed a trade this season, is here to stay in New York for a little longer. The shortstop, who had to be demoted to second base following a form slump last season, is back to prove why he still belongs in MLB. Torres unlocked a major career achievement against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday by hitting a 361-foot homer over right field.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Gleyber Torres’ name made rounds in the trade window as the New York Yankees wanted to clear the infield jam. But, since they could not find a suitable deal, the team handed the baseman a one-year extension contract. On top of that, Torres received a chance to start in the first series of the season and drilled his first homer on the opening day. Moreover, this time, he’s managed to breach a significant milestone.
Gleyber Torres Hits Second Home Run Of The Season, Unlocks New Record
New York Yankees infielder, Gleyber Torres, has joined the elite list of players who have as many as 100 homers to their name. The baseman touched the magical figure during Monday’s game against the Phillies. In the third innings, Torres faced Phillies’ stater, Taijuan Walker and hit a 361-foot long home run over the right field. The towering blast was his second of the season and helped propel the Yankees to an 8-1 victory over their rivals. With his 100th career home run, Torres joins an elite group of young players who have reached the milestone at a young age. He is the 7th youngest Yankee to hit 100 home runs.
Speaking on the milestone, Gleyber Torres expressed his delight and said it’s special since it came in front of the home crowd at the iconic Yankees stadium. Further, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone opened up on Torres’ potential and said he had improved a lot this season in his approach. He knows what he is capable of achieving with that kind of power. Hence, his recent hit shouldn’t come as a surprise. Regardless, the infielder has shut the trolls for the moment who questioned his place in the team prior to the season. He must only move upward from here to retain the faith and support.
Torres Feels WBC Experience Helped Him Make A Change In Approach
Gleyber Torres skipped this year’s spring training to participate in the World Baseball Classic 2023 as a part of Team Venezuela. He feels the WBC games carry much higher intensity than the spring games. It feels as if you are playing an MLB playoff game. The focus of the team is less on hitting homers and more on securing bases. Hence, the approach really helped Torres this season.
The infielder further added that he faced good-quality pitchers during the WBC, which eventually helped him get better-quality at-bats. Moreover, he feels that experience he wouldn’t have been able to achieve in spring. Hence, Torres credits the WBC stint a lot in transforming him into the aggressive player he is right now.