Cardinals' Bryan Torres homers in big league debut, 11 years after first minor league appearance

CINCINNATI (AP) — Four years after considering retirement, Bryan Torres made it to the major leagues at age 28 and homered for the St. Louis Cardinals in his debut.

“Eleven years to get to here,” Torres said, fighting back tears after helping the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. “I’m not a homer guy. Today, my debut, it just happened. I’ve been learning to manage the pressure. When the heart is going too fast, you have to slow things down. I felt a little pounding in my chest today.”

Torres, who first played minor league ball in 2015, hit seventh and played left field.

With dyed blond hair and wearing thick eye black, he worked a full-count walk from Chris Paddack (0-6) in the second, singled on a cutter in the fourth, grounded out in the sixth, flied out in the seventh and homered on a 95.2 mph fastball from Jose Franco in the ninth, driving the 2-1 pitch into the first row of the right-center field seats.

“There’s not many words to describe this moment,” he said.

Cardinals fans at the game, many of them waving their shirts, kept chanting his name and three batters later induced a curtain call.

“All those guys bring us some energy,” Torres said.

Torres became the third Cardinals player since 1900 with multiple hits that included a home run in his debut, the first since Bobby Smith at Cincinnati on April 16, 1957.

“Pretty neat, man,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “There’s moments throughout the year that you take a step back and get to enjoy. That’s one of them. You could tell, even in his first at-bat, there’s a calmness to him in the box.”

Torres signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee in 2015, was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco organization in December 2019, became a free agent after the 2021 season and spent two years with the independent Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association.

“I’m not going to lie, at one moment, I thought I’d retire,” he said. “In that moment, I decided I wanted to give myself a chance, and if I did, give it 100%.”

He signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals in September 2023, hit .331 with 28 doubles, two homers, 56 RBIs and 33 stolen bases at Double-A Springfield, then was promoted to Triple-A Memphis and batted .328 with 16 doubles, nine homers 51 RBIs in 2025.

He was added to the 40-man roster last November and played for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Baseball Classic, going 2 for 6 with a double, three walks and three runs.

“I’m going to try to get him out there as much as possible,” Marmol said. “This is a left-handed bat who understands the strike zone, finds a way on base, a real pesky at-bat. I like his skill set.”

Torres was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday after hitting .336 with 10 doubles, two homers, 16 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 36 games.

“I was in (the) clubhouse sitting in my seat and my manager, Ben Johnson, said: ‘I’ve got some good news for you. Bryan Torres is going to The Show,’” Torres recalled. “Everyone started yelling and jumping up and down. Some of them started crying with me.”

Several family members were at Great American Ball Park. His first call was to his mother, Lissette Crespo.

“Since I was a young kid, 4 years old, she lost all her weekends to bring me to the stadium,” he said. “During the week, she always (brought) me to the park to practice, to play.”

His parents traveled from Puerto Rico on Friday only for that night’s game to be rained out.

“It was very emotional. He was crying and when I received it I cried with him,” his mom said during the Cardinals’ telecast. ”That was a special moment."

Torres took the roster spot of outfielder Nathan Church, placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. He became the oldest position player to debut for the Cardinals since catcher Alberto Rosario at age 29 in 2016. Left-hander Nick Raquet debuted last season for St. Louis, also at 29.

“It’s been a very long and tough road, and not the usual road,” Torres said. “Everything happens for a reason. My family is very happy. We’re living the dream, basically.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Bryan Torres catches a fly ball hit by Cincinnati Reds' JJ Bleday during the sixth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader in Cincinnati, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

St. Louis Cardinals' Bryan Torres celebrates as he runs the bases after Torres hitting a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

St. Louis Cardinals' Bryan Torres celebrates hitting a single, his first career hit on his MLB debut, during the fourth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

St. Louis Cardinals Bryan Torres, wearing his MLB debut patch, walks from second base during the second inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran on the war, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region.

“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said on social media, with no details. He said he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, and separately with Israel.

He described it as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE" that still must be finalized by the United States, Iran and the other countries that participated in the calls. It capped a week in which the U.S. weighed a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic that would break a fragile ceasefire.

There was no mention of Iran's nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, which Iran has sought to discuss later. There was no immediate comment from Iran or Israel. Trump said speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had pressed the U.S. to go to war, went “very well.”

Earlier on Saturday, a regional official with direct knowledge of the Pakistan-led mediation efforts said the U.S. and Iran were closing in on a deal to end the war.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations, cautioned that “last-minute disputes” could blow up the efforts. This is not the first time in recent weeks that a deal has been described as close.

The official said the deal would include an official declaration of the war's end, with two-month negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The Strait of Hormuz would be reopened and the U.S. would end its blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iran, meanwhile, had signaled “narrowing differences” in negotiations after Pakistani army chief Asim Munir held more talks in Tehran.

Twelve weeks have passed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing top Iranian officials including its supreme leader and interrupting nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran for the second time in less than a year. Iran fired at Israel and at neighbors hosting U.S. forces, shaking Gulf nations that had considered themselves safe havens in a tough region.

A ceasefire has held since April 7. But Iran’s decision to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz for ships carrying regional oil, natural gas and other critical supplies has been a focal point of global concern and economic pain.

Iran state TV earlier quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as describing the draft as a “framework agreement” and adding: “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 to 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.”

He said the Strait of Hormuz is among the topics discussed.

But Baghaei told Iran’s official IRNA news agency that nuclear issues are not part of current negotiations.

“Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he said, adding that lifting sanctions on Tehran “has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position.”

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported that the Lebanese militant group's leader received a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran will not abandon its allies. There is a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, a conflict that began two days after the Iran war started.

Trump earlier said he was holding off on a military strike against Iran because “serious negotiations” were underway, and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the lead negotiator in historic face-to-face talks with the U.S. last month in Islamabad, said Saturday that Iran has rebuilt its military assets and if Trump resumed attacks, the result would be “more crushing and more bitter” than at the start of the war.

State TV said he spoke after meeting with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, who also met with Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. Qatar sent a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan’s efforts.

The war’s stated aims have not been achieved. Iran still has its enriched uranium and a missile program it says is being rebuilt. It continues to express support for armed proxies in the region. The new supreme leader, though still unseen publicly since the war began, is the son of the previous one and close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard.

And the Iranian people have not revolted against the government as both Trump and Netanyahu had predicted after nationwide protests early this year.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Superville from Washington. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)

In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, speaks with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)