Trent Grisham hit his second grand slam in five days as the New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros 7-1 on Tuesday at Daikin Park. The win marked the Yankees’ eighth victory in their last nine games, keeping them 2 1/2 games behind Toronto in the American League East.
Max Fried earned his 15th win of the season, joining Carlos Rodón as one of two American League pitchers to reach that mark this year. Fried pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters and hitting one with a pitch.
Grisham’s grand slam came off a fifth-inning sinker from Framber Valdez and landed in the Crawford Boxes in left field. “I was talking to myself on deck, knowing it was going to be a big situation,” Grisham said. “Just really getting excited for that [but] getting really calm and really getting focused, just looking for a pitch I could handle.”
The Yankees have now hit eight grand slams this season, with Grisham accounting for three of them. Over his last nine games, he has reached base 19 times in 39 plate appearances, hitting five home runs and drawing nine walks while scoring ten runs and driving in thirteen.
“It’s just an intent and level of focus I’m trying to get to,” Grisham said. “It looks different every day, but I’m doing the same things to try to get there. It’s a daily grind. Some days it’s easy. Some days it’s harder. But it’s relentless over 180 days, 162 games. Nothing different than usual. Just a good stretch, really, right now.”
Manager Aaron Boone praised Grisham’s approach at the plate: “I know he’s going to give me a good at-bat,” Boone said of his center fielder. “Right-, left-handed, whatever it may be.”
Grisham’s homer was only the third by a left-handed hitter off Valdez this season; Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s two-run shot earlier in the game was another rare occurrence against Valdez by a lefty batter.
“Framber is a tough one, obviously, a tough one on lefties and a tough guy to get the ball in the air against,” Boone said. “So for two of our lefties to ride him out of the ballpark — really good at-bats by those guys.”
Chisholm later added his 28th home run off Steven Okert and stole his 26th base of the year as he moves closer to becoming only the third Yankee with a 30-homer/30-steal season.
Fried limited Houston’s offense early; their first hit came when Cam Smith singled leading off the fifth inning. Afterward Fried struck out three straight batters.
“Just mixing my pitches,” Fried said. “Not trying to get the punchout, just trying to get groundballs, changing speeds, keeping hitters off-balance. That’s what I do best.”
Boone noted that Houston had more success against Fried during their previous meeting on August 10 but credited Fried for being unpredictable this time: “I thought he mixed really well today,” Boone said. “I thought his breaking ball was good. He had a presence with his changeup, sweeper, sinker, four-seamer, cutter. He was very unpredictable. Stuff was good, [he] just managed the game really well.”
Fried also demonstrated defensive skill after fielding César Salazar’s bunt attempt quickly enough to double up Mauricio Dubón at first base following runners reaching via walk and single earlier in that inning.
“It’s something I take seriously,” Fried said regarding fielding his position defensively as pitcher.“If there’s something I can do to be the ninth defender, it definitely helps myself and the team.”
