“Homecoming ovation” “Should have cheered more” - Fans divided as Gleyber Torres returns to Yankee Stadium since $15,000,000 deal with Tigers

The New York Yankees moved on from Gleyber Torres in the offseason with the All-Star infielder walking into free agency after the World Series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gleyber Torres signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers in free agency. Tuesday's series opener between the Yankees and the Tigers at Yankee Stadium saw the return of the infielder to the Bronx for the first time since signing with Detroit.

Torres, who spent several years with the Yankees, received a standing ovation from the fans before his first at-bat on his return to the ballpark.

However, fans on social media were divided on the gesture.

"Nothing like a homecoming ovation! 🙌⚾ Welcome back, Gleyber"

"They're such hypocrites! All they did was bash him when he played there!"

"Yankee Stadium showing love, Bleacher Creatures never disappoint."

"I’m surprised. Yankees fans never appreciated him."

"I think they were whistling at him, he never served with the Yankees."

"No boos? Bro who tf is gonna boo Gleyber we love him."

Gleyner Torres batted .265 with a .774 OPS in his seven years in New York with 138 home runs and 441 RBIs.

Gleyber Torres reflects on his time with the Yankees on his New York return with Tigers

Although fans expected bad blood between Gleyber Torres and the Yankees, the All-Star second baseman said he understood it was part of the business and holds nothing against the franchise.

"I really loved playing in New York," Torres said. "That's the city everybody wants to play in. It was never pressure. It's just frustration in the moment because I didn't do my job. I didn't play good defensively.

"At the time, offensively, I didn't do the job. And, as a player, you got egos and when things aren't going your way, you're always going to feel frustration because you're young and that's the big thing.

The 28-year-old has been a crucial part of the Tigers roster, the second-best team in the American League this season, and he earned his second All-Star nod with the team this year.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash