Gleyber Torres' single in ninth gives Yankees 10th straight victory
Gleyber Torres of the Yankees celebrates a two-run home run at the plate during the fourth inning of their MLB game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Monday in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images/Cole Burston
TORONTO — Hardly a perfect 10, but it’ll do.
The Yankees made it 10 straight victories Monday night by beating the Blue Jays, 3-2, at Rogers Centre.
Gleyber Torres drove in all three runs for the Yankees, who have won 12 of 13 games and have MLB’s best record at 17-6. He hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth and a tiebreaking two-out RBI single in the ninth, both to the opposite field.
“A really good one,” Aaron Boone said of the win. “We didn’t generate a ton offensively tonight and credit to them [the Blue Jays] . . . that’s a good win against a really good team.”
Giancarlo Stanton, who stole an extra-base hit from Matt Chapman in the second inning with a leaping catch up against the rightfield wall, led off the ninth against righty Yimi Garcia with a line-drive single, the Yankees’ first hit since Torres’ homer. Tim Locastro pinch ran for Stanton and stole second, improving to 35-for-39 in his career on stolen-base attempts.
“It’s been huge,” Boone said of the speed dynamic added by Locastro. “And he’s been fearless. It’s not always the easiest thing . . . when everyone in the building knows you’re trying to run and they’re working hard to stop you. He’s done a great job with some steals off the bench for us.”
Locastro held at second when Josh Donaldson shattered his bat on a grounder to third, and Aaron Hicks struck out swinging. But Torres swatted a first-pitch curveball to right-center to bring in Locastro with what would be the winning run.
“It’s fun, but I’m not in that situation without Giancarlo getting a hit and then Gleyber getting another hit,” Locastro said. “And then our pitching staff keeping us in every single game. It’s a total team effort and team wins throughout this whole stretch.”
Torres said he likes the “pressure” of those moments.
“It’s exciting, those situations,” he said. “I just try to be in control and do the little things. I don’t want to be super-aggressive. I know I have guys behind me, so mentality-wise, I feel really relaxed. I know if they don’t throw anything to hit, I know the guy behind me can do the job, so that is the plan for me every time I get in a big situation.”
Chad Green, the night’s closer with Aroldis Chapman unavailable after working the previous two days, struck out two in a perfect ninth. He was the fourth pitcher to follow Jordan Montgomery, who allowed two runs and six hits in five innings, striking out five, and threw 49 of his 65 pitches for strikes.
That he left the game headed for a no-decision — it was tied at 2-2 — was not a surprise. Montgomery has received six total runs of support in five starts this season and has been given three or fewer runs of support in 30 of his last 35 starts since the start of 2021, including two or fewer runs in 21 of those starts.
“I think this is the best my stuff’s been in a really long time,” said Montgomery, who didn’t allow a walk.
Of the lack of run support, he said there’s no frustration on his end. “I think it would be pretty selfish for me to think like that,” he said. “I’m out there trying my best, they’re out there trying their best, playing great defense. Stanton made a great play. A lot of ground balls [plays by shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa] that were not easy plays. I’m just trying to go out there and throw strikes and keep us in it.”
The Yankees turned one double play behind Montgomery and three overall.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
