In the Blue Jays-Yankees game, the Yankees lost 8-5.
During the game, Gleyber Torres went 1 for 1 but was taken out by Aaron Boone. This wasn’t due to an injury but a “learning moment” as Boone called it.
Torres hit a powerful shot in the second inning and thought it was a home run. He stayed in the batter’s box watching it instead of running. The ball hit the wall, and he only got to first base for a single. Here’s what Torres said after: “For one second, I thought it was a homer,” Torres told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, after the game. “Unfortunately, it’s just a single. I have to get better. I feel really sorry for whatever I [did] tonight, especially for the fans and also for my teammates.”
Two batters later, Anthony Volpe doubled and Torres was thrown out at home plate.
Boone’s Decision:
This season marks the fifth time Torres has been thrown out at home plate – leading all players in this unfortunate stat (via Stathead’s Katie Sharp). After this incident, Boone decided to remove him from the game.
“I just felt like in that moment, I felt like I needed to do that,” Boone explained post-game (via YES). “Simple as that. It is what it is; it’s over with; we gotta move on; he and I have spoken; hopefully this is a great learning moment for all of us.”
Fans might think this benching will help Torres improve his hustle on future plays.
Torres had an impressive start to his career with two All-Star seasons but has struggled recently. This year he’s hitting .236/.311/.363 with 18 doubles, 10 homers, 42 RBI and 0.4 WAR over 105 games. With free agency approaching and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is under team control through 2026 now part of the Yankees’ roster – Torres’ future with them looks uncertain.
With Friday’s loss, Yankees’ record stands at 65-46 this season. Luckily for them though Orioles also lost so both teams stay tied atop AL East while Red Sox trail by five-and-a-half games.
What do you think about Boone’s decision?
