Gleyber Torres did it again. He led the Yankees to victory with a dinger. It wasn’t a walk-off and it was only a solo shot but it made all the difference in a tight game with the Angels. So far Torres, who was already highly touted prospect, has been better than advertised. He looks great on the field and he looks great at the plate. The kid has hit a home run in four straight games and he’s now the youngest player to accomplish that feat.
On Friday night, the phenom, who was already responsible for the Yankees’ first run thanks to an infield hit, stepped up to the plate against reliever Jim Johnson in the bottom of the seventh inning—Johnson came into the game after manager Mike Scioscia the Angels’ starter Andrew Heaney. Johnson retired Miguel Andujar for the second out of the inning and was trying to get Torres for the final out. The first pitch was a called strike and the next three offerings from Johnson missed the plate and the rookie didn’t bite.
Johnson threw Torres a 95 mph pitch that was low and outside and Torres hit it to right center to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
Torres is now batting .333/.393/.646 with nine home runs in 108 plate appearances. Every time you think he can’t get better, he does. In a fun twist, the last 21-year-old to hit a home run in four straight games is Torres’ teammate Giancarlo Stanton who did in 2011 with the Marlins.
Photo credit: Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports