LOS ANGELES — Gleyber Torres looked into his glove. There was nothing in it but a gigantic missed opportunity.
World Series Game 1 on Friday night was an instant classic, a heavyweight brawl capped off by a knockout blow for the ages. Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam is, appropriately, what will live on in the minds and highlight reels of baseball fans everywhere.
But that historic swing, which gave the Dodgers a 6-3 win, was only made possible by a crucial Yankees misplay two innings earlier.
With the Yankees hanging onto a one-run lead with one out in the eighth, presumptive National League MVP Shohei Ohtani clobbered a soggy changeup off the wall. As Ohtani hauled around first for a double, Yankees right fielder Juan Soto gathered the pill and hurled it toward the infield grass, toward safety.
Or so he thought.
The throw skipped on the Dodger Stadium dirt about two feet in front of Torres. But instead of corralling the ball with his body like a hockey goalie, the second baseman attempted a flailing, backhanded pick. That scoop is a play Torres has completed countless times, but it was, given the situation, an incredibly lackadaisical choice. The precious white blur careened off the upper pinky of Torres’ black and tan Rawlings mitt and rolled toward the mound. Ohtani, seeing an opening, scooted to third.
Those 90 feet, as they so often do in the October cauldron, made all the difference. Ohtani scored on a sac fly from the next batter, Mookie Betts, to even the score, 2-2. If Torres collects Soto’s throw cleanly, preventing Ohtani from advancing, the Dodgers almost certainly depart the eighth inning without a run.
Instead, the game took on an entirely new dimension, hurdling itself to a chaotic, unforgettable finish. Torres’ massive blunder opened the window.
“If I got another opportunity, [I would] try to block the ball,” a downcast Torres told reporters after the game. “Just keep it in front and keep it a little more simple.”
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old second baseman, the gaffe was not out of character. Torres has, throughout his seven years in pinstripes, been notably prone to on-field lapses in focus. In early August, he was benched, mid-game, by Yankees manager Aaron Boone for not running out a ball off the wall that Torres believed was a home run. Torres also graded out as the single worst second-base defender in all of baseball in 2024. His glove has never inspired confidence.
Yet Boone has defended Torres time and time…