Last Thursday, as a light rain fell on Yankee Stadium, Gleyber Torres ambled to the plate. It was the bottom of the ninth, two outs, and the Yankees trailed by two runs. Shortstop Oswald Peraza led off first base. Torres, the second-best hitter in the Yankees’ ragged lineup, had homered earlier in the game and was plainly capable of heroics again. The Washington Nationals, perennial National League East also-rans since their shock World Series victory in 2019, were one team the Yankees could, in theory at least, still deflate.
But the fans didn’t seem to care. The possibility of a dramatic Yankee win couldn’t keep them from leaving, hundreds at a time, replica pinstripe jerseys streaming for the exits. It didn’t matter when Torres singled and Giancarlo Stanton, the $325 million albatross, scorched another single to make it 6-5. Harrison Bader, the light-hitting defensive whiz, lofted a long fly ball that safely settled into the glove of the Nationals’ center fielder. The fans beating the traffic were rewarded for their foresight.
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