Rangers manager regrets chiding Yankee Stadium as 'Little League' park after Gleyber Torres walkoff HR
Chris Woodward would like to have this one back.
After his Rangers lost to the New York Yankees on a Gleyber Torres walk-off home run on Sunday, the Texas manager was a bit salty. He took his frustrations out on Yankee Stadium.
"That's an easy out in 99% of ballparks. ... He just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark to right field."
Rangers manager Chris Woodward on Gleyber Torres' walk-off home run at Yankee Stadium 🍿 pic.twitter.com/DeHVAyPuM2— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 8, 2022
“Small ballpark," Woodward said. "That’s an easy out in 99% of ballparks.” ... “Just happened to hit it in a Little League ballpark to right field.”
It turns out that Woodward didn't quite have his facts straight. Torres hit a 369-foot home run to right field off of reliever John King that secured a 2-1 Yankees win in the bottom of the ninth inning of the first game of a doubleheader. It was obviously a home run at Yankee Stadium. According MLB statcast data, it projected as a home run in 26 of the 30 MLB parks.
Gleyber Torres vs John King#RepBX
Home Run 💣
Exit velo: 106.5 mph
Launch angle: 28 deg
Proj. distance: 369 ft
This would have been a home run in 26/30 MLB ballparks
TEX (1) @ NYY (2)
🔻 9th pic.twitter.com/nOhTfVxbe6— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) May 8, 2022
That means that Torres' shot projects as an out or a non-home run hit at 13.3% of MLB stadiums — slightly less than Woodward's assessment of 99%.
Torres had some fun with Woodward's commentary when told about it.
“Both teams play in the same ballpark," Torres told reporters. "It’s the same dimension. I feel good to hit a walk-off homer in the Little League ballpark.”
Yankees Twitter also took note and provided its own commentary when Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run to left center field in the second half of the doubleheader.
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
It was correct in its assessment.
To make matters worse for Woodward's take, the Yankee Stadium dimensions worked out in the Rangers' favor on multiple occasions during Sunday's doubleheader. The Rangers' lone run in Game 1 on Sunday arrived courtesy of a 355-foot Kole Calhoun home run to right field that was 14 feet shorter than Torres'.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Rangers outfielder Eli White hit a 342-foot solo home run to right field that projects as a home run in just one other ballpark besides Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile another Torres shot — this one to left field — was contained by Yankees stadium for a flyout. The 395-foot blast projects as a home run in 24 of 30 MLB parks — but not Yankee Stadium.
Gleyber Torres vs Glenn Otto#RepBX
Flyout 💢
Exit velo: 103.3 mph
Launch angle: 29 deg
Proj. distance: 395 ft
This would have been a home run in 24/30 MLB ballparks
TEX (0) @ NYY (2)
🔻 4th pic.twitter.com/v00wzz8kKg— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) May 8, 2022
The Rangers won Game 2, 4-2.
Given a night to sleep on it and some certain incessant chiding from Yankees faithful on just how wrong he was, Woodward provided a mea culpa when speaking with reporters Monday.
“Probably bad words on my part,” Woodward said. “I gave it a layup for a lot of people. But listen, I meant no disrespect, obviously, to this place. And it’s obviously a world-class organization, ballpark. I talk about it as always being like one of my favorite places to come play, but I understand why Yankee fans will get upset about it. That’s why I love them.”