Gleyber Torres made a blunder during the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Orioles. Picture this: the Yankees were trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, and Juan Soto stepped up, delivering a clutch hit to right field that brought Torres to third and put the team in a promising position. But then things took a wild turn. As Soto dashed to second on the throw home, Torres took off toward the plate. Why? Who knows.

Unfortunately, it turned into a bit of a circus act, as he found himself caught in a rundown and tagged out. Everyone was wondering the same thing—what did just happen? In the wake of the Yankees’ frustrating loss to the Orioles, Aaron Judge expressed his disappointment regarding a critical baserunning mistake. This play might just haunt the Yankees in their dreams, and for Torres a bit much. 

Aaron Judge’s take on a baserunning mistake in the Yankees’ loss

If both Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto had made it safely, we could have seen Aaron Judge stepping up to the plate with the go-ahead run on base. Wouldn’t that have been a sight? Judge was clearly frustrated after the game, and maybe rightly so. According to The New York Post, he said, “When it comes down to it, stuff like that can’t happen. We can’t keep shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes like that on the basepaths.”

You could feel the weight of that moment, especially since it was their first chance to clinch the AL East crown. Gleyber Torres, now 27 years old, despite racking up three hits, ended up becoming the face of frustration in the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Orioles. That’s totally not a good thing for him. That baserunning gaffe really overshadowed his performance.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, you know, especially with the Orioles clinching a wild card spot. After the game, Gleyber Torres and Yankees manager Aaron Boone found themselves trying to make sense of the unexplainable. Torres explained his thought process, saying, “In that situation, just protect him. I was a little in between to go to home plate, I feel like I went a little late, and after that they made me out.”

Boone backed him up, noting that while Torres was trying to prevent Soto from getting tagged out at second, he should have either committed to faking home or really made a run for it. “It would have made it a tougher play on Baltimore,” Boone said, hinting at how that could have changed the game’s momentum. But let’s see, at least the Yankees get another chance to clinch on Wednesday night in the Bronx. 

Yankees on the brink of a tense AL East race

Whether you feel bad for the Bombers or not is another question—if you are a Birds fan, you’d feel elated for the Orioles! They clinched their second straight playoff berth, taking down the New York Yankees 5-3, even in the face of Aaron Judge’s jaw-dropping 56th home run—his major-league-leading shot.

With this win, the Orioles not only celebrated their own success but also benefited from the Minnesota Twins’ loss to the Miami Marlins just nine minutes later, guaranteeing them at least a wildcard spot in the AL playoffs. Anthony Santander joined the home run party with his 44th, and both Ramon Urias and Colton Cowser contributed with their own blasts, showcasing Baltimore’s power at the plate. This victory also clinched the season series against the Yankees, giving them the tiebreaker, although there’s still a tall order ahead.

The Orioles would need to win all five of their remaining games while hoping the Yankees drop theirs—can that happen? Despite Baltimore’s recent struggles, having lost seven of their last ten, this win was a huge boost. Meanwhile, New York, already in playoff mode after securing their own spot last week, just needs one more victory to officially claim the AL East crown. With just five games left in the season, the Yankees are on the cusp of clinching the AL East, with their magic number sitting at just one! It’s an exciting time as they aim for that division title. 

But there’s more on the line—if they want to secure the best record in the American League and snag that all-important home-field advantage in the playoffs, they’ll need to lower that magic number from three, especially after the Cleveland Guardians snagged a win on Tuesday night. It’s crunch time for the Yankees, and every game counts. Do you think they can do it?