The New York Yankees’ second half of the 2023 season kicked off on a horrific note. From the All-Star break till August 31, the team had won only one series, which came against lowly Royals. The team also witnessed the worst losing streak in four decades. The consecutive losses pushed the club out of playoff contention for the first time since 2016.
As of this writing, the Yankees are seated at the bottom of AL-East, with a 65-69 record and 7.5 games behind the playoff wildcard spot. While the deficit is not huge, the games left on the schedule are minimal. That lowers the club’s overall chances. Regardless, the Yanks broke the series win jinx this week by trashing the Detroit Tigers but failed to record a complete sweep.
Gleyber Torres’ Defensive Miscue Robs Yankees Of Series Sweep Vs. Tigers
This week, the New York Yankees faced the Detroit Tigers in a four-game series. The stage was set for the Yanks to earn back the pride of the franchise and salvage the tarnished image. To much surprise, the Bombers ended up breaking the series win jinx by winning the first three games of the series. The offense and pitching staff worked collectively to bring relief to the club amid the losing streak. Meanwhile, the team had the perfect chance to record a series sweep. But a minor miscue by baseman Gleyber Torres robbed that chance. Here’s the play. Anthony Volpe scored a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to clear off the three-run deficit and tie the game.
The game went into the 10th inning, where the Tigers covered first and second base. Tigers shortstop Jack Short hit a drive straight to reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, who got out at second. However, Gleyber Torres, stationed at second base, made a bad throw, which landed miles away from the man at first. In the meantime, the Tigers reached home to score the game-tying run. The Yankees did try to make a failed attempt to challenge the call. With that, the series ended at 3-1. Torres was caught at the center of the loss. Moreover, this isn’t the first time the baseman has messed up defensively. An error from his side cost the Yanks a win against the Cubs before the All-Star break and against the Boston Red Sox on June 11. Nevertheless, the Yanks ended up taking a lot of positives from the series.
Will Glyeber Torres Escape Trade Scare In Off-Season
Second baseman Gleyber Torres escaped trade threats multiple times this season. The reason was his strong offensive numbers. This season, he has been the second-best performer of the Yankees by hitting .270 with 23 homers, 57 RBIs, and .798 OPS in 133 games. Hence, Keith McPherson of WFAN believes that the Bombers can no longer afford to trade Torres since he has upped his stakes.
The Yankees would want to start hot in 2024, and Gleyber Torres has proved why he deserves to be in the starting lineup. He has been performing when the rest of the lineup struggled. Moreover, the baseman has been consistent, as he missed only one game this season. While Gleyber lacks in the field, his offensive production outweighs all shortcomings.