Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham delivered a decisive home run in the eighth inning, helping New York secure a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Manager Aaron Boone has nicknamed Grisham “The Big Sleep” for his calm presence on the field.
Asked about the nickname after the game, Grisham responded, “I think the guys are trying to get it going.”
With the score tied and left-hander Bryan King pitching, Grisham hit a 3-1 pitch into right-center field for his 21st home run of the season—a career high. Of those, 16 have either tied games or given the Yankees a lead.
“I just believe I’m ready for [the moment]. I believe I’m built for it. I go into it with that mindset,” said Grisham. “[Being relaxed] plays a key role.”
Boone praised Grisham’s approach at bat. “He is able to lock in during those moments. He has been in such a good place all year with the at-bat quality,” Boone said. “Even when he has hit a little speed bump, he is patient, knows what he is looking for. He has a good plan. You are seeing the power. It was a big-time at-bat right there.”
David Bednar took over closing duties instead of Devin Williams and pitched five outs to earn the win three days after getting a five-out save. Boone had hoped Bednar would only pitch one inning but called on him earlier after Camilo Doval struggled in the eighth.
With New York leading 4-2, Jose Altuve singled to drive in Cam Smith, and Carlos Correa walked to load the bases before Bednar entered and walked Christian Walker, tying the game as Jesús Sánchez scored. Bednar then struck out Yainer Diaz and Taylor Trammell to end Houston’s rally.
“I can’t throw Bednar any deeper into a fire. He gets ahead of Walker there and ends up losing him. He doesn’t even flinch and then [gets the strikeouts] and then has the one-two-three ninth,” Boone said.
Starter Luis Gil pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs with seven strikeouts in his second start of the season.
The game began with Houston’s Jeremy Peña hitting an early home run off Gil, but New York responded quickly against Framber Valdez as Paul Goldschmidt scored on Giancarlo Stanton’s walk and Ben Rice added an RBI sacrifice fly.
Although Houston tied it again in the fourth inning, Gil maintained control reminiscent of his performance that earned him last year’s American League Rookie of the Year honors.
“He found some rhythm. He flirted with a few three-ball counts but for the most part was able to win those,” Boone said about Gil. “I thought he had a presence with everything. His fastball, changeup and slider were all important pitches for him today. That was good to see and a big effort by him.”
Grisham expressed optimism about New York’s trajectory this season: “I believe everybody in this room believes in the guys next to him. This is a very talented team,” he said. “If we get hot at the right time, the guys we have in this room and what we can do are pretty obvious.”
