Gleyber Torres bailed out from Gerrit Cole’s fury after Yankees offensive outburst
The New York Yankees failed to give Gerrit Cole early run support after they left a runner in scoring position in each of the first two innings in Sunday's rubber match against the Tampa Bay Rays.
That put pressure on Cole and the defense to keep the shutout intact until the Yankees' bats woke up. Before Anthony Rizzo opened the floodgates with a screaming line drive home run to right field in the third inning, Gleyber Torres nearly ignited a Rays rally in the bottom of the second.
With a runner on first and two outs, Torres misplaced a chopper behind the pitcher's mound. Instead of taking the easy out at first, Torres -- clearly unaware of his surroundings -- tried to tag Harold Ramirez at second base.
Torres lost his footing and both runners were safe.
Gerrit Cole visibly frustrated after Gleyber Torres error before Yankees offensive outburst
Cole retired the next better to keep the Rays off the board, but the ace was visibly frustrated with Torres before throwing his next pitch.
Here's Cole's reaction.
Lip-reading doesn't come much easier than that, folks. Luckily for the kids watching at home, Cole didn't utter any profanities.
And luckily for Torres, the Yankees' bats came alive minutes later. As we noted, Rizzo opened the scoring with a homer before Harrison Bader -- who's been a needed spark plug for the Yankees since returning from his oblique injury -- cranked a two-run blast to give the good guys a 3-0 lead.
Just what the doctor ordered for Cole, but especially Torres. Nobody should want to be on the bad side of a frustrated Cole. The ace largely keeps an even-keeled profile on the mound, but we've all seen him lose his cool, whether it be due to wonky umpiring, poor defense or just a lack of command of his pitches.
The vibes weren't great after the second inning, but Rizzo and Bader made sure Cole's anger wouldn't fester.
Hitting is contagious in this one, as the slumping Aaron Hicks got in on the fun with a run-scoring double in the fourth before Torres atoned for his fielding blunder with his own RBI double.
Once angry after his second baseman failed to make a routine out, Cole is likely (maybe) all smiles after New York's offense spotted him a five-run lead.