What Yankees’ Gleyber Torres thinks about his record-setting home run binge

Torres has eight homers in his first 27 big-league games, including four in his last three. He set a record going deep again in the Yankees’ loss on Wednesday night.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Second baseman Gleyber Torres never thought to hang around at his locker late Wednesday night to do a post-game interview following a bad loss that was a Yankees‘ giveaway.

The rookie extraordinaire homered again, and while it was a big one at the time, it came in the middle innings of a 12-10 loss to the Texas Rangers.

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After showering, dressing, packing and leaving the visiting clubhouse at Globe Life Park, Torres reappeared about 15 minutes later and was tracked down for comment.

That’s when Torres first heard that his three-run homer in the sixth inning that put the Yanks up 8-5 made him the youngest player in franchise history to go deep three games in a row.

Dressed in a blue sports coat for a late-night flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark, Torres cracked a little smile hearing what he’d accomplished, then he wiped it off his face almost immediately and said softly, “I feel good for that, but we lost.”

Torres, who turned 21 last December, might have smiled a little longer had he been told that he’s also the third youngest player in Major League history to go deep three days in a row behind only two legendary Hall of Famers, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

That’s impressive stuff.

Against the Rangers, a last-place team that took two of three from the Yanks, Torres homered four times in three games … twice in Monday’s win, then once each in Tuesday and Wednesday’s losses.

“I’m happy to help my team, but we lost, so it’s like no big deal,” Torres said. “I got a home run and we lost.”

These four North Texas homers doubled Torres’ season total, giving him eight in just 93 at-bats over his first 27 big-league games.

Even Torres has been caught offguard by this power display because he had just 24 homers in 370 minor-league games over 1,398 at-bats. 

“Yeah, for sure,” Torres said. “When I go to the home plate, I just try to put the ball in play, take good at-bats and the home runs are happening. I never try to go for home runs.”

Torres had just seven homers in 202 at-bats last year and never has hit more than the 11 that he had playing high-A ball in 2016, the year that the Yankees got him from the Chicago Cubs in the summer Aroldis Chapman trade.

Following this year’s April 22 call-up from Triple-A, Torres had no homers in his first 12 games.

Now he has eight in his last 15.

Asked if he’s starting to think of himself as a home run hitter, Gleyber smiled again and said, “No, not really. Contact hitter.”

How many more homers will it take to change his mind?

“I think a lot more,” Torres answered with another grin.

Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner isn’t so sure about that. He thinks Torres is the total package as a ballplayer, strength included.

“He’s a really, really talented player,” Gardner said. “He’s got a really good approach at the plate and he’s dangerous.”

Torres has been hitting for average since his first week as a big leaguer, too, and after going 1 for 5 on Wednesday, he was at .323, the best by far among Yankees regulars.

Making all of his early success even more impressive is Torres hits ninth on most days, and he’s fine staying right where he is as a bottom-of-the-lineup weapon.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I’ll help the team in any opportunity I get and I’m happy to be there.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.