The Yankees were once down by five runs, but Trent Grisham's ninth-inning grand slam completed the team's come-from-behind win over the Braves, 12-9, in Atlanta on Saturday night.
New York was down 5-0 in the fifth before the team chipped away and tied the game at 8-8 entering the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt led off with a double before Aaron Judge was intentionally walked with one out. Giancarlo Stanton worked a walk to load the bases before Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a rocket at third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. for the second out. That set up Grisham, who took a 1-1 slider over the middle of the plate from Raisel Iglesias over the right field wall for the lead.
The Yankees (54-44) with the win, remain 3.0 games behind the Blue Jays — who won earlier in the day — for first place in the AL East.
Here are the takeaways…
-After the bullpen game went wrong on Friday, Will Warren was called upon to give the Yankees a quality start. The young right-hander was solid in his first start out of the All-Star break, but the third-inning homer to Michael Harris III allowed the Braves to take a 1-0 lead. Harris entered the game with the second-worst wRC+ (48) and fourth-worst SLG (.316) among qualified hitters this year.
Despite the solo shot, Warren was really good for 3.2 innings but it would unravel quickly in the fourth. Six straight Braves reached base with two outs, which included a three-run shot from Ozzie Albies — the second straight game he's hit a three-run bomb off the Yankees. Warren just couldn't get the final out as the Braves worked walks and ended the youngster's night with an infield single that was a result of Warren not covering first base, allowing another run to score.
Warren threw 41 pitches in the fourth and his night was done after throwing 78 pitches (47 strikes) through 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
-Albies wasn't done, though. In the fifth, Albies hit a two-run single with two outs. The hit was set up by a wild pitch from Scott Effross, and a curious decision to pitch to the left-handed Albies with a base open.
Unfortunately, the Yankees' bullpen just couldn't keep the Braves from scoring. Jonathan Loaisiga, after giving up one run in his first inning of work, allowed the Braves to load the bases with one out in his second frame. Luke Weaver came on and got out of the inning without allowing another run to score and keeping the score 8-7.
Weaver was clutch, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings to get the ball to Devin Williams in the ninth with the lead. Williams, however, wasn't dominant, allowing the Braves to score a run on a hit and a walk, but he eventually locked down the win.
-On the other side, the Braves started their bulk pitcher out of the bullpen Joey Wentz. Wentz, making his first start since 2023, kept the Yankees at bay with just two hits and one walk allowed in four innings.
However, the Yankees would finally get on the board in the fifth against the Braves' bullpen. After a leadoff double fromGrisham, Anthony Volpe launched a two-run shot 420 feet over the left-field wall. It was his 11th homer of the season and his first home run since July 5. It wouldn't be his only one, though. Volpe launched a 411-foot solo shot to tie the game at 8-8 in the eighth.
Volpe finished 2-for-4 and had his first career multi-homer game.
The Yankees sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth and scored four runs to cut the Braves' lead to 7-6. The Yankees scratched runs across once they loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to the small ball, with the only hit coming from aChisholm single. The big moment came when Matt Olson had a fielding error that would have at least gotten one out.
Cody Bellinger would add another run with his solo shot in the seventh. The outfielder went 2-for-4.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham
Volpe was great, and Weaver is an unsung hero, but Grisham's grand slam kept the Yankees from falling four games back of the Jays. His 17 homers ties a career high.
Highlights
Anthony Volpe with a two-run blast to get the Yankees on the board pic.twitter.com/hkphVMNv5B
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
Jazz Chisholm Jr. with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/iyVOB6rrbv
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
ANTHONY VOLPE TIES THE GAME WITH HIS SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/SIxZnUGlby
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM HITS A GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM IN THE 9TH!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/G9IrvNzwKF
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
What's next
The Yankees and Braves finish up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
Marcus Stroman (1-1, 6.66 ERA) will go up against Grant Holmes (4-8, 3.77 ERA).
Read the full article here