New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t mince words when discussing second baseman Gleyber Torres’ ninth-inning error that paved the way for the Seattle Mariners’ shocking 5-4 comeback win. “I mean, just a kind of a do-or-die you know, really gets down the line, well, that,” Boone tersely remarked, clearly indicating the error’s pivotal role in the defeat.

To start off with what seemed like a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth inning for the Yankees, closer Clay Holmes came undone as he gave up four runs—a rare occurrence for him being such a dominant pitcher. The game-changing play came about when Torres made an error by throwing wide on a chopper from Luke Raley, loading up bases and fueling the Mariners’ rally, which turned out to be anything but routine ground ball.

This isn’t the first time anyone has questioned Gleyber Torres’ defense. A scout once praised his “baseball IQ of a seasoned veteran” when he was traded to the Yankees in 2016.

However, it’s been eight years now, and there have been many mental mistakes made by him, along with physical ones, leaving fans scratching their heads as well as analysts too. On top of all these struggles at bat, he only has two home runs in 47 starts batting .221 average doesn’t help matters defensively either.

Boone’s comments on this mistake show how high the pressure of playing in the Bronx can be. In response to Holmes giving up four runs after coming onto pitch in the ninth inning with an already blown save opportunity against the Seattle Mariners, who scored those four runs off him before taking the lead themselves, Yankee fans did not waste time booing him off the field following such a performance. While maintaining a perfect ERA through twenty appearances prior to yesterday’s game, it still couldn’t keep him from getting raked over coals by an unforgiving crowd at the stadium amid boos raining down upon his head like thunderclaps.

Beyond Gleyber Torres: A harsh lesson in baseball’s unpredictability

Moreover, what the Yankees’ defeat showed us is how much they rely upon Clay Holmes as their closer; even though he may have had some impressive outings before tonight, giving up four runs after coming into pitch having already blown a save against the Mariners, who went on to score those four runs themselves, could leave them vulnerable if he falters again, while Marcus Stroman’s shutout performance over seven innings and one-third got wasted due to a bullpen meltdown.

The team’s offensive struggles, particularly Gleyber Torres’ dismal performance at the plate, further contributed to the loss. It does not matter how well Aaron Judge is hitting if no one else can bring him around to score. DJ LeMahieu will be back soon, which should help, but that means Jahmai Jones gets DFA’d and Oswaldo Cabrera goes back on the bench.

There were some bright spots in this game for the Bombers, though, despite losing. Anthony Volpe extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the fourth, further cementing his role as leadoff man going forward. Also, Boone said he loved the aggressive baserunning decisions by both Volpe and Nick Burdi, as it shows they are willing to take risks and push the envelope.

In conclusion, what happened yesterday serves as a reminder of just how close success and failure can be in this game. Gleyber Torres or not, one error or one off night from a closer is all it takes sometimes when your offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders like ours right now. The Yankees need to clean up their defense going forward so they can win games even when our bullpen struggles because we only have so many arms down there right now anyway. And lastly, we just need more offense, plain and simple, whether that means finding ways to get more guys on base or moving runners over into scoring positions with less than two outs.