It could not have been easy for Joel Torres to learn that he was being released from the Cleveland Indians minor league system late last month.
But he probably couldn't have been launched to the unemployment line with a better parachute. A month earlier, the 21-year-old outfielder had won $1 million in the New York State Lottery's "Sweet Million" game after buying a ticket in Queens while visiting his mother over the winter.
Yes, that sound you heard was mothers everywhere asking if we see what happens when you act like a good son and visit your mum. Anyway, Torres' victory was revealed when he picked up his lump sum payment of $660,300 over the weekend. He bought the ticket on Feb. 24.
From the N.Y. Post: "The first thing I plan to do with the money is buy my mom a new house," said Torres. He said the money will allow him to pursue his hopes of playing ball in the major leagues.
What's interesting is that the N.Y. Post has pictures of Torres picking up his oversized check and he's still wearing a Indians cap. Presumably he now has a little more scratch to buy a lid of a team that didn't dump him onto the free-agent scrap heap.
And hopefully his newfound financial freedom will allow him some more peace of mind in pursuing his dream. Torres played 38 games for the Indians team in the Arizona Fall League and posted a .184/.260/.307 line with one homer and 14 RBIs — numbers that will never prove anywhere near as profitable as whatever numbers he played in the lotto.
"My dream, since I was a kid, is baseball. That's what I'm going to continue doing. I'm going to keep swinging, swinging for the fences," Torres said.
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He won with $5 quick picks.As you can see the winning combination was on line A on the ticket.This is the second sweet million winner that have won with a $5 quick pick and the winning combination was on line A. I am not so lucky with my $5 quick picks, I always get 2, 3, and 4 repeated numbers from the previous drawing most of the time.I FEEL THAT ONE QUICK PICK TICKET PER DRAWING WILL DO IT FOR ME.CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER.
Nice story..... congrats to the winner I sure do hope he makes it in the Big League one day he seems like a nice young man.
He won with quick picks? How embarrassing.
I hope they were quality numbers that were comparable to those that might have been intelligently and carefully selected at least.
Congratulations to Torres and props for thinking of his Mama before himself. Good man.
@rdgrnr .. so, you don't believe in quick picks? i think the chances of your actual numbers coming up are like 1/100,000,000 as opposed to the quick pick numbers of 1/50,000,000 - i just feel that the computer is set to repeat/play that quick pick set of numbers before getting to our measily picks .. and the lotto data says 70% winners are from quick picks [because 70% of people play quick picks] .. only when it's really huge do i even bother with my own numbers .. but it sounds you ONLY do your own, no?
That was just a little tongue-in-cheek for my math-head friends nickey.
I play one line mine and one line qp on jp games.
I'm an eclectic kinda guy.
I wish that the Indians would capture me ................. & then release me just in time for tonite's Mega Millions drawing !
LOL...
Congrats to Mr. Torres
I agree sully16.......... he looks like a good person.....!!!
I'm glad he's going to continue to pursue his dream as a ball player.
No, wrong order. According to this article, they must have you DURING your jackpot win. The release occurs soon thereafter. The smaller post-taxes win allows you to buy tickets to see the team if you are later so inclined!
Congratulations to him!