NEW YORK – As the Baltimore Orioles’ injury situation caught up to them, the Yankees rallied – opening a six-game AL East lead entering Tuesday night, with six games remaining.
The playoff tournament begins next week, and these Yankees are the clear favorites to advance to the World Series out of a flawed American League field, where the wild card race gets wilder by the day.
Here are the Yankees, with an inside lane to their first pennant since 2009, even with those wicked Houston Astros looming as a potential October opponent.
But the Orioles still have a fearless factor when it comes to facing the Yankees, and the Yankees still have a way at times of getting in their own way – as they did on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Despite a three-hit night, Gleyber Torres - due to a baserunning gaffe - became the symbol of a 5-3 loss to the Orioles, who clinched a wild card spot and prevented the Yanks from celebrating a division crown.
With five games left, the Yankees’ magic number to clinch the AL East remains at one, and their magic number to secure the AL’s best record – with home field playoff advantage – is stuck at three, after the Cleveland Guardians’ Tuesday night win.
Gleyber Torres' baserunning gaffe ends Yankees' rally
For the second straight year, the Orioles (87-70) have won a season series from the Yankees (92-65), with two head-to-head games left.
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge - who'd already launched his 56th homer of the year - was due up, with a chance to deliver the tying or go-ahead run, when Torres got himself caught in a rundown between home and third base.
That play ended the seventh inning and started a new round of concern over the Yanks' stumbles on baseball fundamentals - the stuff that can become costly, quickly, in a playoff series.
"When it comes down to it, stuff like that can’t happen,'' said Judge. "Can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes like that on the basepaths. It happens, you’ve got to move on and get ready for (Wednesday).''
Trailing 4-1 in the seventh, Torres’ third hit of the night produced an RBI ground rule double off Yennier Cano, and Juan Soto followed with a sharp RBI single to right.
Running from second base, Torres was held up by third base coach Luis Rojas, but Torres started toward home as catcher Adley Rutschman threw to second, attempting to catch Soto advancing.
That started a 9-2-6-2-5-2-6 putout, ending in the crowd’s groans for another dubious baserunning play by Torres.
“His initial thought was that Juan was out at second,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of Torres trying to protect Soto.
But, “it’s got to be a bluff or a sell out and go,’’ said Boone. “It’s the tying run.’’
A glum Torres said he was trying to protect Soto but “I was a little in between. I feel like I went a little bit late.
“I have to be a little more aggressive.’’
These teams could still be on a course for an October meeting and doesn't it kind of feel inevitable? Before one of his at-bats Tuesday, Judge said he told Rutschman: "We'll be seeing you later down the road.''
As the Yankees captain said, "this is the toughest division in baseball,'' and the Orioles own a 31-19 AL East record in 2024. The Yankees? They're a .500 club against the East, at 25-25.
Clarke Schmidt ready for any postseason role
Judge’s solo blast against starter Dean Kremer (5 IP, 1 ER) led off Tuesday’s fourth inning, cutting the O’s lead to 2-1.
Solo homers by Anthony Santander (off starter Clarke Schmidt in the sixth and Ramon Urias (off Tim Mayza in the seventh) gave Baltimore a 4-1 lead.
In the eighth, AL Rookie of the Year candidate Colton Cowser launched a tremendous solo homer to right off Ian Hamilton, and the O’s could just about taste the clinching champagne.
Making perhaps his second to last start of the season, Schmidt lasted 5.1 innings and felt he was sharp (as did Boone), though he was charged with three runs on four hits, with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Exactly what Schmidt's role will be during the first round of playoffs is undefined; Boone said that such discussions hadn't been raised in-depth by the Yankees' brass, because they hadn't yet clinched the East.
In the best-of-five AL Division Series, an off day follows both Game 1 and Game 2, meaning there might only be a need for three starting pitchers.
"Whatever the role is, when postseason comes around, it's all hands on deck,'' said Schmidt. "We'll be ready.''
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Gleyber Torres' baserunning gaffe ends Yankees' rally; AL East clinching party must wait
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