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Gleyber Torres went from being the odd man out to providing one of the most important at-bats of the Yankees’ 6-5, 11-inning Opening Day victory over Boston.
Torres began the game on the bench, with DJ LeMahieu starting at second base, but his name was called with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th to pinch-hit for Kyle Higashioka.
Torres answered with a sacrifice fly to center to tie the score at 5-5, and the Yankees won an inning later.
“As a player, everybody wants to make [the lineup on] Opening Day,’’ Torres said. “I can control what I can control.”
Torres acknowledged he was “mad” when manager Aaron Boone first told him he’d be on the bench, but was more positive about the situation by Friday.
Then came his at-bat, in which the shadows began creeping over the field on Friday afternoon and he quickly fell behind 0-2 with two ugly swings.
“The shadows made it hard to see the ball,’’ Torres said. “I tried to get the ball in play.”
Boone praised Torres’ mental toughness.
“I’m sure today was a really tough day for him,’’ Boone said. “I talked to him before the game and knew he was gonna be prepared.”
Before the game, Boone said of the decision to go with LeMahieu over Torres, “Somebody had to sit.”
Boone and LeMahieu referenced a meeting the manager had with the team in Tampa during spring training, stressing that they “stay on the same page.”
The manager also mentioned before the game that Torres might be called upon for the biggest at-bat of the game.
On Friday, it worked out just as the Yankees had hoped.
Anthony Rizzo got the Yankees back in the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, then got a scare when he was drilled in the right hand by a Nathan Eovaldi fastball in the fifth. Rizzo stayed in the game and said he was OK.
“My hand is good,’’ Rizzo said. “It got me pretty good, but thankfully nothing is wrong.”
Aaron Hicks also took a foul ball off his foot, but was able to stay in the game.
Luis Severino will make his first start in a game that counts since the 2019 ALCS when he takes the mound on Saturday.
The right-hander, who missed much of the 2020 and 2021 seasons after Tommy John surgery, already had a health scare during spring training, when he experienced “general arm soreness” following a Grapefruit League start.
But he rebounded and pitched well in his last outing and is hoping to build on that against Boston.
Severino added he “learned from my mistake” in spring, when he found himself overthrowing during starts.
“I can’t play around,’’ Severino said. “I need to do my job: Try to get people out and get five or six good innings to give my team a chance to win.”
Aaron Judge took over Brett Gardner’s locker in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse and said he spoke to his former teammate recently, who told him to take care of it for him.
“That guy was the life of the party.” Judge said. “He was a leader. He was a prankster. He keeps it loose in here, so we’re going to miss him.”
The Yankees declined to bring back the veteran outfielder, opting to have Tim Locastro and Ender Inciarte in camp before both ended up with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“A guy that, it didn’t matter if he played, he would be out there every single day,’’ Judge said of Gardner. “It didn’t matter if he was coming off the bench, he’d go out there and give 110 percent. The fans always appreciated that from him over the years. … Every Opening Day I’ve been to, he’s been out there with me, so it’s a little different today.”
— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce
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