Pedro Martinez may have had a problem with Gleyber Torres stealing second base in the top of the ninth inning with a six-run lead in the Yankees’ ALDS Game 1 victory over the Rays in San Diego, but Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash did not.
“None whatsoever,’’ Cash said before Game 2 on Tuesday. “We’d be doing the same thing, I assure you.”
Following Monday’s game, Martinez, the former Red Sox great and current TBS broadcaster, called Torres’ decision “a mistake.”
“You respect the opposition, because you expect them to respect you,’’ Martinez said. “And what you do is you add fuel to the fire, and later on if they bust you back, don’t think that they don’t respect you or they don’t like you. It was just that, that was a terrible mistake. I hope you learn, and the next time just don’t do that.”
The play came during the Yankees’ five-run ninth, when they blew the game open.
Pedro Martinez; Gleyber TorresGetty Images (2)After Aaron Hicks’ RBI single made it a two-run game, Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam to put the Yankees up by six runs.
With two outs, Torres singled and swiped second against Shane McClanahan, who was making his MLB debut. The Yankees loaded the bases again in the inning before DJ LeMahieu grounded out to end the inning.
Still, in a game that had a combined six homers, it was hard to say even a six-run lead was out of reach.
