The Yankees found themselves in a tough spot, trailing 3-2 against the Dodgers in danger of being swept for the first time in the season. With Juan Soto sidelined due to injury, Trent Grisham, who had been struggling at the plate, stepped up and hit a three-run home run off Tyler Glasnow to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead and ultimately secure a much-needed win to avoid the sweep. The sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium quickly shifted their chants from wanting Soto to wanting Grisham after his clutch performance.
Luke Weaver came in to pitch in relief and preserved the lead by escaping a jam in the top of the seventh inning. Despite letting runners reach first and second with no outs, Weaver managed to induce a double play to end the threat and keep the Yankees ahead. Aaron Judge added to the lead with a home run in the bottom of the eighth, his third of the series, to cushion the lead. The Yankees were able to hold off the Dodgers and secure the victory on a night when starter Luis Gil, while not his best, still put together a solid performance on the mound.
The Yankees had taken the lead earlier in the game when Oswaldo Cabrera hit a solo home run in the third inning off Tyler Glasnow. Cabrera, filling in at third base for Anthony Rizzo, had struggled to find his power stroke recently but came through with a big hit to start the scoring. Verdugo and Judge followed up with back-to-back doubles to extend the lead to 2-0 in the third inning. However, Betts and Hernandez quickly responded for the Dodgers, tying the game in the fifth and taking the lead in the sixth, respectively.
Despite the offensive struggles over the weekend, the Yankees managed to come through in a critical moment and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. Grisham’s heroics at the plate, combined with clutch pitching performances from Weaver and Gil, helped secure the much-needed victory. While the absence of Juan Soto had initially cast a shadow over the team’s offense, the rest of the lineup stepped up when it mattered most. The win served as a testament to the resilience of the Yankees and their ability to overcome adversity in the face of a tough opponent like the Dodgers.
