In the frustration of losing a game to the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward fell into the easiest trap there is out there: Throwing out names before knowing the facts.
After a 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees in the Bronx on Mother’s Day, Woodward decided to express his frustration with the losing moment by slinging insults rather than checking the statistics.
Was this a “Little League” home run by Gleyber Torres of the New York Yankees? Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward may say yes, but the statistics say otherwise
First, let’s take a look at the walk-off home run that drew the postgame response from Woodward and gave the Yankees the victory.
Yes, it was an opposite field home run. However, according to Baseball Savant, the ball had an exit velocity of 106.5 mph (the game’s fifth-hardest hit ball) and traveled an estimated 369 feet. In a season where there is so much discussion about how the change in baseball is impacting offenses, Torres certainly put a charge into his homer.
Keep those Baseball Savant numbers in mind as you listen to Woodward’s comments below and the accompanying tweet that goes with it.
"That's an easy out in 99% of ballparks... He just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark." -Rangers manager Chris Woodward on Gleyber Torres' walk-off home run
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 8, 2022
Gleyber's 369-foot shot that traveled at 106.5 MPH would have been a home run at 26 of 30 MLB parks pic.twitter.com/obrxaZ2Vgj
Of course, Woodward’s comments burned across social media like a wildfire and not only fired up Yankees fans, but seemingly the Yankees themselves. After all, this was the first game of a doubleheader where Torres hit his home run in the “Little League ballpark.” In the second game of the day, Giancarlo Stanton hit a 461-foot homer that drew a tip of the cap to the situation and some shade from the Yankees social media account.
We are going to guess this is a home run in 30/30 Major League ballparks. pic.twitter.com/065f7tEAI3
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 8, 2022
There has been plenty of talk about the short right field at Yankee Stadium (314 feet), but the Torres home run wasn’t right down the line at that 314-foot mark and certainly didn’t scrape the fence to clear it.
A word of wisdom for the Rangers manager next time: Take a breath and check the actual statistics before making a claim. The eye test will sometimes fool you, but numbers never lie.