Yankees: Gleyber Torres’ huge pinch hit keys NYY sweep of O’s

Yankees star Gleyber Torres showed up exactly when it counted, and the Yanks just swept the Orioles out of the Bronx.

For the second consecutive day, the Yankees capped a strong effort on the mound from a varied crew of arms with one big hit, resulting in a workmanlike victory.

Perhaps, in the long run, Saturday and Sunday’s games will resonate just as strongly as the dueling slugfests that kicked off this four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, sending them a resounding 5.5 games behind the Yanks with just 13 contests remaining.

After all, we knew this Bronx Bombers team could theoretically bash. But for weeks on end, it felt like they could neither get a clutch hit to save their lives, nor throw up a zero from the ‘pen in an important situation.

But following the two most stable and formulaic victories of the season (hold ’em, hold ’em, hold ’em, strike exactly once, lock it down), the Yanks are now a cut above Baltimore, and it was Gleyber Torres who delivered the final blow of the weekend, delivering a monstrous two-run, pinch-hit double after Clint Frazier’s hustle edged out Dillon Tate to first base.

It’s got to be the glasses, doesn’t it?

We likely didn’t think we’d be able to relax this quickly. Three wins out of four was the difficult stated goal entering the series. A four-game sweep? Seemed impossible, especially after absorbing weeks of crushing Yankee blows.

Surely, the offense would fail to show up at least once, right?

Well, twice, actually. But the bullpen not only didn’t break, but it didn’t even bend. And Torres, who didn’t start on Sunday (leading to many accusations that Aaron Boone had taken his foot off the gas pedal), arrived at the perfect time to play the role of savior and tie a bow on a weekend to remember.

Are Britton and Chapman back? Check. Can the Yankees’ offense carry them in an important series? Uh huh. Can Gerrit Cole return to normalcy? Yes, and then some.

Even after a series-ending win in Buffalo, this Yanks team entered the weekend’s four-game set with a seemingly endless list of questions. As we get ready for a Monday off? They’ve mainly been answered, and the object of the team’s pursuit has changed.

We’ve now got Deivi Garcia, Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka against the Blue Jays this week, a team that is now firmly in their sights. A lot can flip in one weekend, huh?

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