Glaber Torres stepped up in the ninth inning with the Yankees down a run and battled Jose Alvarado in a tense at-bat. Alvarado started with a 101 mph fastball that Glaber watched go by. Then came a mix of sliders and heaters, with Torres fouling off pitch after pitch. Alvarado kept trying to find something that would finally work. Cameras caught Glaber casually fixing his hair between pitches, clearly unfazed. Alvarado even threw over to first with no threat of a steal, buying time as he struggled to find a plan that worked.
Torres stayed locked in. He laid off multiple borderline pitches to work the count full after it reached 1-2. Alvarado bounced a pitch and looked frustrated. Now at 3-2, with no choice but to throw a strike, he went back to the fastball. Glaber was ready. He turned on it and ended the at-bat with a solid swing, delivering exactly what the Yankees needed. It was a long, smart battle from Torres that wore down one of the toughest left-handed relievers in the league.