Gleyber Torres strung together a Derek Jeter-like playoff game performance Tuesday night – maybe even better.
In the Yankees’ 12-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the wild-card round, Torres did something Jeter never did, becoming the first Yankees shortstop with at least four hits and three RBIs in a postseason game, according to Katie Sharp. Torres had a perfect night at the plate, registering three singles, a homer and a walk.
After coming off a 38-homer season at 22 years old in 2019, Torres had a brutal 2020 regular season. In 42 games, he hit .243 with three homers and 16 RBIs. He struggled in the field with nine errors and finished with a .933 fielding percentage.
But Torres seemed inspired after a chat with Brett Gardner, who wasn’t thrilled with his own regular-season performance.
“Before the game, I had a really good conversation with Gardner,” Torres said. “He gave me really good advice. Basically, he told me during the season we didn’t do a really good job as players. I felt the same way, but also he told me baseball gives you another opportunity, so we are starting new games.
“This is the time we need to do the job for the team.”
Torres is a .351 hitter with four homers and 13 RBIs in 15 career postseason games.