It wasn't long ago that New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone had a chat with Gleyber Torres about hustling on the base paths.
Whatever was said appears to have worked. On Thursday, Torres scored one of the more remarkable runs of the baseball season — or any season for that matter — on a 100% hustle play.
Have you ever seen a run like this?
The Yankees shortstop reached first base on a single to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning against the Houston Astros. After Mike Ford struck out in the next at-bat, Arron Hicks hit a low line drive that Astros shortstop Carlos Correa knocked down at second base.
By the time Correa gathered the ball, Torres was rounding second to a third base left open with the Astros employing a shift. Catcher Martín Maldonado had run toward third to cover but didn't get there in time. It was a head up play by Torres that gained an extra base.
But he wasn't done.
Correa casually tossed the ball to third baseman Alex Bregman, who was standing next to second base. When Torres saw that Maldonado was closer to third than home, he kept running. He easily beat Maldonado to the plate. Bregman didn't even have a chance to make a throw.
And Torres scored on a line-drive single that never left the infield.
Gleyber Torres with one of the most incredible hustle runs you will ever see in a baseball game! pic.twitter.com/5EoPN52whr
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 6, 2021
Torres was chided for lack of hustle in April
The play was a stark contrast to April 22 when Torres drew the ire of Yankees fans and Boone for jogging to first on a groundout against the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees were 6-11 at the time, and there was little patience anywhere for a perceived lack of hustle.
what is this effort pic.twitter.com/mdgUaPqSPc
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 22, 2021
"I think anytime you have that kind of situation where the guy has to get off the mound, you better get after it," Boone said after that game. "That's got to be better."
Torres' hustle on Thursday ultimately didn't make a difference in the game's outcome. The Astros held on for a 7-4 win. But it went a long way in dispelling any notion that Torres doesn't play hard.
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