Yanks hit at least 3 HRs in 5 straight for 1st time

ARLINGTON -- Gleyber Torres may well be the most prolific No. 9 hitter in the game, and after a series to remember that saw him slug four homers in three games against Rangers pitching, the hot-hitting rookie will head home with some history in his back pocket.
Torres' three-run shot off Doug Fister was one of four Yankees homers hit in Wednesday's 12-10 loss at Texas, establishing the 21-year-old infielder as the youngest Yankee in franchise history to homer in three consecutive games.
Torres' homer was also the Yankees' third of the game, marking the first time in franchise history that the club has hit three or more homers in five consecutive games. It also marks the seventh such stretch of at least five games by any club in Major League history. The only team to hit three or more home runs in six straight games is the 1987 Orioles, who did it from May 8-13 that year.
"I try to do my job every day," Torres said. "I'm happy for helping my team and the opportunity, but we lost today, so it's no big deal with the home runs. … I feel good for that [record], but we lost tonight. We're ready for the next series. We'll try to win."

Torres is the youngest Major Leaguer to homer in three straight contests since a 20-year-old Giancarlo Stanton did it for the Marlins in September 2010, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
At the time, Torres' fifth-inning homer to the left-field bleachers seemed to represent more than just a milestone, restoring the Yankees' lead and dispatching Fister to the showers. It came on an 0-2 count as Fister tried to sneak an 88.4-mph two-seamer past Torres.
According to Statcast™, Torres' drive came off the bat at 102.2 mph and traveled 401 feet. It was the eighth homer and 20th RBI in 17 games for Torres, who said that he doesn't consider himself a power hitter just yet.

"When I go to home plate, I just try to put the ball in play, try to take good at-bats," Torres said. "The home runs are happening, but I never try to hit home runs."
Aaron Judge joined the slugging party later in the inning, crushing a mammoth two-run shot to center field off reliever Tony Barnette.

Judge's 13th homer came on the first pitch he saw from the right-hander, a 92-mph fastball. At 471 feet, Judge's homer was the sixth-longest in the Majors this season, and the third-longest homer of Judge's career.
That was the high point of the night for the Yankees, who led by five runs at the time.
Didi Gregorius hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run first inning, busting a 3-for-54 skid by parking an 82.8-mph changeup for his first homer since April 27 -- the day he received a curtain call on the road against the Angels in Anaheim.

"We lost, so it doesn't really matter," Gregorius said. "To be honest, I was hitting the ball hard, they were just not falling. For me, I'm not going to change my approach. I've been hitting the ball hard, just not getting hits. It's been falling for the last couple of days. It's still a work in progress."
Neil Walker slugged a third-inning homer for the Yankees, who hit 21 home runs in a five-game span, equaling the most in Major League history. The record is also shared by the 1977 Red Sox and the 1999 Reds. Yanks manager Aaron Boone hit three of those 21 homers for Cincinnati in '99.

• Fan makes diving grab on Walker's homer
"We can hit," Boone said. "Those guys can hit, so no, it doesn't amaze me. We have a lot of power and guys are really going up there and grinding through at-bats. I think when you do that consistently with the power they have and the talent they possess, home runs are a lot of times the result."