Adrian Gonzalez leaves Dodgers-Australia exhibition game with lower-back tightness

While you were sleeping, the Dodgers were playing the Australian national team in an exhibition game. Yep, just a harmless exhibition game:

Adrian Gonzalez came out of the game with tightness in his lower back.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) March 20, 2014

Adrian Gonzalez said his back felt tight before game even started. Of opening day, he said, “I’ll be good. I’ll be alright.”

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) March 20, 2014

Backs can get tight for any reason. But if, as I suspect, a lot of players hate the idea of flying halfway around the world to play baseball games like this, Gonzalez should do his fellow union members a solid and talk up how much sitting on airplane for 15 hours played into the back tightness. It may not be the truth, but your friends will thank you so much for saying it, Adrian.

Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres was born on December 13, 1996. That year, Bartolo Colon (who turns 45 years old on Thursday) was wrapping up a season he spent with Double-A Canton-Akron and Triple-A Buffalo. He would debut in the majors the following April.

In a clash of generations, the 21-year-old Torres and Colon squared off on Monday as the Yankees visited the Rangers. Torres won the battle twice, drilling a two-run home run off of Colon in the second inning and a solo shot off of Colon in the fourth. Colon wound up giving up six runs in total on eight hits (including four homers) and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Here is video of the first homer Torres hit:

This is where the baseball rides away. pic.twitter.com/05obxzfeXH

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 22, 2018

Torres is the second-youngest Yankee in club history with a multi-homer game. Mickey Mantle was 20 years and 296 days old when he went yard twice on August 11, 1952. Torres is 21 years, 159 days old. Joe DiMaggio was 21-212 when he hit two on June 24, 1936.

So much for respecting one’s elders. We’re currently seeing a youth movement in baseball. 19-year-old Juan Soto hit his first major league homer on Monday against the Padres. 20-year-olds Ronald Acuña and Mike Soroka debuted for the Braves earlier this year. Could 19-year-old Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. join them soon?

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