A deeper look into Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto's defensive woes that led to the Yankees' Game 1 loss

LOS ANGELES – In the popular imagination, and certainly in Dodger lore, Game 1 of the 2024 World Series will forever remain that Freddie Freeman Game, not quite as legendary as Kirk Gibsonis the moment, but somewhere in this zone.

This was a night that offered crowds of people Giancarlo StantonThe latest Mr. October moment Gerrit ColeIt's a shame if it's shortened Alex Verdugo'S Endy Chavez moment – ​​a record catch quickly diminished by defeat.

But if you peel back all those layers, you have two problematic defensive plays from two problematic defenders. If Juan Soto and especially Gleyber Torres Had they performed well during regulation time, the 10th inning would never have been necessary and the Yankees probably would have eked out a victory.

In a way, this was emblematic of the general causes underlying their struggle. Soto was about skill and foot speed, while Torres was about a lack of technique and concentration.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with one out and the score still 0-0, Kike Hernandez sent a ball into deep right field. Soto ran after him towards the corner, but couldn't catch him. Hernandez ended up at third base.

“I think I took the right path,” Soto said. “The ball kept fading and I had no chance.”

A long-time fielding coach who watched the game said: “His route was fine. He barely managed to make the catch due to his foot speed. If he had managed a one-two it would have been better – but that's hard to achieve, especially considering how hard he plays.”

Asked if he was thinking about conceding the brace, Soto said: “Right now you're trying to make the play. In any case, you feel really bad when the ball is over. But at the end of the day when the ball was hit, I thought I had a chance, but the ball kept fading and going.”

moments later, Will Smith Hernandez drove in with a sacrifice fly, made possible in part by a Soto throw that didn't have enough. Limited speed and a subpar arm – coupled with hustle and a hard-nosed approach – define Soto's game on the field.

Torres' moment was uglier. With the Yankees leading 2-1 at the end of the eighth quarter, Shohei Ohtani doubled off the right field wall. As he advanced to second, Soto's throw clattered off Torres' glove and bounced deeper into the infield. While Torres briefly tried to find the ball, Ohtani charged for the third time.

Torres' lack of focus has frustrated the Yankees for years. He's not always ready for the field – a fact that other teams' scouts are well aware of – and he's unable to implement basic techniques. That's a strange aspect of his game because he's all about winning and wanting to do well. It's about concentration, not effort. But it's the same result.

According to a longtime infield coach, Torres failed to implement basic techniques on this play.

“He had to get his feet closer to the base to make long jumps,” the coach said. “Good infielders always make good long jumps by moving their feet.”

Instead, Torres stayed too close to Soto and failed to get into a better position to block the longer jump.

True to character, Torres answered every question about that moment — although he didn't necessarily provide as clear an explanation as the infield coach.

“Difficult jump,” he said. “I was just trying to get to the cutoff [throw].”

Ohtani scored Mookie Betts Sacrificial fly. Before long there was chaos and drama. But the game would never have gotten this far if Soto and Torres had been a little more careful about the two earlier plays.