The Yankees’ power came from an unlikely source on Saturday afternoon, as backup outfielder Trent Grisham delivered two home runs in a 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Here are the takeaways…
— Cody Bellinger was left out of the lineup for a second straight game due to back tightness, but the veteran outfielder took swings in the cage before Saturday’s game and downplayed the issue overall. In his place, the Yankees once again turned to Grisham off the bench, and he made the most of his opportunity by delivering a solo homer over the right-field scoreboard in the third inning.
— New York drew first blood in the second, however, when Austin Wells drove in Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a one-out single through the middle infield. The second-year catcher earned the base knock, too, as he fouled off four straight two-strike pitches from Pirates starter Bailey Falter before reaching base. Wells nearly punished Falter again in the fourth inning with a deep fly to left that landed just short of the wall. It would’ve been a homer in 16 other ballparks, per Baseball Savant.
— In his second start of the season, Marcus Stroman struggled to clip the edges and watched his pitch count rise. While he allowed just one baserunner through three innings, mistakes mounted in the fourth when a pair of walks snowballed into a four-run Pirates rally. The veteran right-hander was replaced by Tim Hill in the fifth, after allowing three hits and three walks with three strikeouts (74 pitches).
— Pittsburgh’s time with the lead didn’t long at all. A leadoff double from Jasson Dominguez and a single from Oswald Peraza was followed by another homer from Grisham, this time to left. The Yankees’ outburst didn’t end there, either. Anthony Volpe eventually joined in on the fun with a three-run double to deep center that bumped their lead to 8-4. The six-run fifth brought 10 batters to the plate and knocked Falter out midway through.
— The Yankees’ decision to pull Stroman after only four innings and rely on the bullpen for 15 outs certainly paid off. After a scoreless fifth from Hill, relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz, and Ryan Yarbrough combined for five sharp shutout innings with seven strikeouts.
— The top half of the Yankees’ lineup didn’t inflict much damage, but Paul Goldschmidt enjoyed a three-hit afternoon that included an RBI single in the eighth. Peraza also collected two hits in four at-bats, while Ben Rice went 1-for-5 in the two-spot as their designated hitter. The last player to join the hit party was ironically Aaron Judge (1-for-4, two runs), playing in his 1,001st career game.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham
Opportunity has knocked for the backup outfielder thus far, and he’s lived up to the challenge. He’s hitting a crisp .471 through 21 plate appearances, and Saturday marked the second multi-homer game of his career. He first achieved the feat in 2020, belting three with the San Diego Padres.
Austin Wells with an RBI single to get the Yankees on the board!
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— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025
Trent Grisham’s second home run of the season 🔥
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— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM’S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE DAY GIVES THE YANKEES THE LEAD!
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— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025
ANTHONY VOLPE CLEARS THE BASES! pic.twitter.com/EUD5LYBw0U
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025
Paul Goldschmidt brings home Oswald Peraza!
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— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025
What’s next
The Yankees (6-2) will look for their second sweep (weather permitting) over an NL Central team on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch in Pittsburgh scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Will Warren is slated to make his second start, opposite veteran lefty Andrew Heaney.
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