Ronald Torreyes valiantly attempted to protect the runner on a hit-and-run ... but sadly whiffed in vain

The hit-and-run is a risky move. Sure, the benefits of one working out are amazing, with runners able to score from first on a single, but there is also the chance of an easy line-drive double plays or a pitchout that leaves runners stranded. 
The latter fate befell the Yankees' Ronald Torreyes in the fifth inning of Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Rangers. With Aaron Hicks on first base, the hit-and-run was on. Only problem: Texas had sniffed it out and had the pitchout going, too. 
Torreyes was faced with two options: Maintain his own pride and keep his bat holstered, leaving Hicks out to dry in the process, or risk embarrassment and try to hit a ball roughly two miles off the plate. Torreyes chose the noble route.  

Was Hicks caught at second? Yes. Does it look like a silly swing? Of course. But it's also a move that inspires one of epic poetry -- of knights of valor battling when defeat was certain; of boxers getting knocked down time and again and standing back up; of men and women staring at the blinking lights of the WiFi router being out, but continuing to reset it deep into the night. 
Torreyes may have missed the ball and struck out a pitch later, but along the way he proved that he is a regular Lancelot at the plate. And that has plenty of value, too -- besides being tremendous fun to watch, that is.