Aaron Judge has Yankees Captain-like response to Gleyber Torres' baserunning gaffe

If Aaron Judge and the Yankees are going to redefine his legacy in all the right ways this October, then what happened Tuesday night against the Orioles can never happen again.

No, not Zack Hample snagging a home run ball. Gleyber Torres freelancing on the basepaths, caught betwixt and between, and removing a Judge at-bat with RISP from the equation entirely.

In the seventh inning on Tuesday night, with an AL East clinch at stake (as well as a potential Orioles Wild Card berth/resulting hangover), the Yankees launched an improbable comeback bid down 4-1. Torres launched a two-out RBI double that hopped into the stands, a bad break for every reason other than that it brought Soto and potentially Judge to the plate as tying/lead runs.

Soto did what was asked of him, lacing a hard single to right, a liner that should not have sent Torres home. He was given the stop sign, and meandered back to the bag, seemingly caught in a fog. Soto, attempting to kickstart ... something, sprinted for second (and deserves some blame here as well). The O's threw through, Torres got tricked, and he was gunned down at the plate after ending up halfway between safety and disaster. Inning over. Game, ostensibly, over.

When asked after the contest about the consequential gaffe, Judge was familiar, but blunt. Things like this happen, sure. But they can't happen. Not anymore.

Yankees Captain Aaron Judge has dignified, but blunt, response to Gleyber Torres mistake

Such is the Torres conundrum. He's red hot offensively, solidifying the leadoff spot in a manner the Yankees probably didn't expect when they plopped him there as a last resort. He's still, however, a ticking time liability. You never know when something odd is going to crop up that distorts and dismembers a sure victory, and the magnifying glass is only getting harsher over the next few weeks.

Judge made sure to credit Torres for his hustle, and we know he's been protective of his teammate in the past, showing Marcus Stroman the way in Toronto earlier this year. But misdirected hustle, or unnecessary slop, falls on his leadership as well. Like Clay Holmes' blown save in the Texas heat three weeks back, the Yankees can make us all grateful by learning from this pivot point entering the biggest month of the year. They can also continue the pattern and make us tear our hair out.

It's on Judge to button that up and find a happy medium, even when he's not directly involved.