Gleyber Torres obliterates Orioles pitching yet again to set MLB record
NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles pitching has made Gleyber Torres look like Babe Ruth.
Torres launched a pair of three-run homers in the New York Yankees’ 11-8 victory over the Orioles in the nightcap of Monday’s doubleheader, giving the second baseman 13 homers against Baltimore in 2019.
That’s the most homers by any player against a single opponent in one season in the divisional era (since 1969).
“We’re making him look like a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Torres.
Former Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa had 12 homers against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1998. Yankees Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig holds the overall MLB record with 14 against Cleveland in 1936.
Torres, who also homered in Game 1 of the twin bill, has feasted against the Orioles this season, slashing a staggering .414/.485/1.138 (20-for-59) with 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored in 16 games.
“Anytime you have that kind of year against a team, it’s crazy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Torres. “But I think guys typically have success against one team for whatever reason, and Gleyber has obviously had a lot of success against them.”
The Orioles finally elected to intentionally walk Torres with runners on first and second and two outs in the eighth, drawing boos from the Yankee Stadium crowd.
“The Barry Bonds treatment?” Hyde remarked. “Obviously, he’s killed us all year. We are supposed to be making better pitches to him, or not let him beat us, and we continue to throw the ball in the middle part of the plate.”
"You gotta put four fingers up when Torres comes to the plate, cause when he comes around 3rd it's too late." -Gary Thorne pic.twitter.com/M1W1FVOGci
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 13, 2019
Torres also has five multi-homer games against the Orioles in 2019 — a new MLB record. The two-time All-Star has a career-high 26 homers this season overall — two more than he hit as a rookie in 2018.
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