New York Yankees turn triple play in top of the ninth then get walk-off win
NEW YORK — As one of the game’s rarest plays unfolded, Gleyber Torres had one of the best views.
“The second I saw the ground-ball going to Gio, I knew something special was coming,’’ the New York Yankees shortstop said of Friday night’s triple play.
Started by third baseman Gio Urshela, turned by second baseman Rougned Odor and completed by first baseman Luke Voit, the Yankees’ round-the-horn triple play stuffed the Chicago White Sox’s ninth-inning rally.
In the bottom of the ninth, Torres lashed the game-winning single, completing an electric, 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium.
After “that type of play…I know this inning is for us,’’ said Torres, who followed singles by Aaron Judge and Urshela to start the ninth. "An amazing game tonight.''
The Yankees’ last three home games have resulted in walk-off wins. The last time that happened was against the Twins in May 2009, their last world championship season.
And their first triple play since April 17, 2014 at Tampa Bay came two nights after their first no-hitter since 1999 when Corey Kluber blanked the Rangers at Texas.
The Yankees’ last three starters – Kluber, Domingo German, Jordan Montgomery – have combined to throw 23 scoreless innings, with ace Gerrit Cole on deck Saturday.
But it was the triple play turned on Andrew Vaughn’s sharply hit grounder to third that will stay in everyone’s memory from Friday night.
“Right away, it popped in my head,’’ said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, an ex-big league third baseman, watching the ball rapped to Urshela, who still had to take a few steps to get to the bag.
"And Gio being as instinctive as he is obviously did the right thing,'' Boone said of a play that preserved a 1-1 tie with Aroldis Chapman on the mound. "And the boys did the rest.''
A quick relay to Odor, who made a strong toss to Voit, just got Vaughn in a close play that did not require a replay review.
"That's an energy-giver right there,'' said Boone, with the cheers of 14,011 fans – the largest crowd this year at Yankee Stadium – adding to the moment.
The Yankees had not turned a triple play at home since April 12, 2013, against the Baltimore Orioles.
"It was a fun one tonight,'' said Montgomery, who had never seen a triple play in person before.
"Especially one where the third baseman was not right on the bag. It was really a magnificent play.''
Using his curveball more often and effectively, Montgomery matched zeroes with Chicago lefty Carlos Rodon, who yielded to hard-throwing Michael Kopech.
Montgomery dialed in one of his finest starts, yielding just four hits over seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
“That’s more of what I expect out of myself,’’ said Montgomery, knocked out of his previous start after three subpar innings at Camden Yards.
Rodon, who no-hit Cleveland on April 14, struck out a season-high 13 batters in his six shutout innings.
Torres broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning with a patented, opposite-field Yankee Stadium homer off Koepch that traveled an estimated 345 feet to right.
It was just Torres’ second homer of the year, in his third game back after his quarantine due to COVID-19.
Chicago tied it 1-1 in the eighth on Nick Madrigal’s bloop, RBI single off Jonathan Loaisiga.
That ended the Yankee staff’s collective scoreless streak at 29 innings.
Next up, Yoan Moncada’s would-be base hit was turned into a force out at second, thanks to Judge’s brilliant deke in right field.
Tied 1-1 in the ninth, Chapman faced runners at first and second when Vaughn rapped into the triple play.
"It was so exciting...amazing,'' Chapman, who extended his personal scoreless streak to 18 games this season, said of the play, via interpreter.
Against Sox reliever Evan Marshall, Judge and Urshela opened with singles before Torres rapped the game-winner to left and started a frenzied on-field celebration.
Pete Caldera is the Yankees beat writer for NorthJersey.com. Email: caldera@northjersey.com Twitter: @pcaldera