Grisham HR Wins It. Bednar Saves It. NY 5 Houston 4

August 10, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0
Trent Grisham with a game-winning solo HR in the bottom of the 8th, his 21st of the year, to put NY up 5-4.

Trent Grisham put the Yankees ahead with a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th, and David Bednar‘s pitching saved the day as the Yankees beat Houston 5-4 on a Beautiful, Sunny, 80-degree Saturday in the Bronx.

Old Timer’s Day.

Bednar came into the game in the top of the 8th, with bases loaded and only 1 out — and walked in a run to tie the game at 4-4. But Bednar struck out the last 2 batters of the 8th, and then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for the win.

Luis Gil started the game for NY and was brilliant, pitching 5.1 innings and striking out 7 while allowing only 2 runs. Mark Leiter Jr. and Luke Weaver pitched well in relief, before Camilo Doval got into trouble in the 8th — due mainly  to him botching a double-play grounder back to him for an error.

Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice drove in 2 runs apiece to give the Yankees a 2-1 and 4-2 lead earlier in the game.

“His last 2 days man. He had no hits yesterday, but hit 3 rockets,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Grisham. “And then more of the same today. Obviously off the tough lefty too for most of it. Just a great at bat — patient, got one he could handle and hammered it.”

“He’s a good at bat — he really does slow the game down well,” added Boone about Grisham. “Able to really lock in in those moments. He’s been in such a good place all year with the at bat quality.”

On Bednar, Boone said “I mean I can’t throw him in any deeper of a fire. He gets ahead of Walker too, 0-2. Then ends up losing him and doesn’t even flinch — gets the punch-punch and then a 1-2-3 9th.”

NY improves to 62-55 and are now 5.5 behind Toronto and 2.5 behind Boston, which both lost. Houston falls to 65-52, in 1st in the AL West by .5 over Seattle.

1. Gil Great

Great news for the Yankees — Luis Gil, in his second start since the long stint on the IL this season — was absolutely Great.

It didn’t start off well — as he allowed a solo HR to the 1st batter of the game, Jeremy Pena, and it was 1-0 just like that.

Gil then gave up a 1-out single to Jose Altuve, but Ben Rice threw Altuve out on a pitch in the dirt by Gil.

That helped Gil get out of the 1st, and he started to motor — striking out 2 in the 2nd inning and striking out the side swinging in the 3rd.

The Yanks got Gil a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st, which Gil maintained until the 4th when he allowed a leadoff double to Jesus Sanchez, and a 1-out single to right by Carlos Correa — Giancarlo Stanton making a strong and accurate throw in from right field but just missing Sanchez at the plate for a tie game.

Gil worked around a 2-out double and walk in the 5th, and got the first out of the 6th before allowing a single to Correa and being relieved at 91 pitches.

Gil looked great all afternoon. His line: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 runs, 7 K’s, 1 walk.

2. Giancarlo & Rice Make It 2-1 NY in 1st

Meanwhile Framber Valdez started for Houston, coming in with an 11-5 2.83 slash line.

But Valdez did not have his control at the start.

Paul Goldschmidt led off the game for NY with a single, Aaron Judge walked, and Cody Bellinger singled to load the bases with nobody out and bring up Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton walked to make it a 1-1 game, and then Ben Rice hit a sac fly to center for a 2-1 Yankee lead.

Valdez Gets Grounders

Valdez leads the majors with a 62.5 percent ground ball ratio — meaning the Yanks needed to try and stay away from hitting into groundball double plays. Unfortunately Anthony Volpe hit into a double play to end the 1st.

And after that Valdez settled down — pitching shutout ball into the 5th — working around a 1-out double by Caballero in the 2nd, a leadoff single by Aaron Judge and 1-out walk by Giancarlo Stanton in the 3rd, and leadoff single by Trent Grisham in the 4th.

3. Giancarlo & Rice Make It 4-2 NY in 5th

The Yanks finally got to Valdez again in the bottom of the 5th — an Aaron Judge leadoff walk and Cody Bellinger single put runners on 1st and 2nd, and a Giancarlo Stanton single to center made it 3-2 Yanks.

Valdez then got Ben Rice to hit into a double play, scoring a run to make it 4-2 NY.

4. Leiter Gets Double Play

After allowing the 1-out single in the top of the 6th to Correa, Gil was relieved by Mark Leiter Jr. in the 4-2 game. And Leiter got Christian Walker to hit one of his sinkers into a ground-ball double play to end the inning just like that.

5. Weaver Good

With NY up 4-2, Luke Weaver pitched the 7th — and retired the side 1-2-3 — foul out, fly out, strike out.

6. Doval Gets Into Trouble

Camilo Doval came in to pitch the 8th, with NY up 4-2. He walked Caratini on a 3-2 slider, before striking out Pena.

With 1 out, he got Sanchez to hit a comebacker, for what should have been an inning-ending double play. But Doval threw the ball wide of 2nd for an error — everyone safe.

Doval then allowed an RBI single to Jose Altuve for a 4-3 game, and walked Carlos Correa to load the bases with 1 out.

David Bednar was brought in to face Christian Walker, and after going 0-2, he walked Walker with 4 straight balls for a 4-4 tie.

But Bednar rebounded — striking out Yainer Diaz and Taylor Trammell to leave the bases loaded.

7. Grisham Game-Winning HR in 8th

And so it was a 4-4 tie in the 8th with doom and gloom hovering above the Yankees again on the beautiful, sunny 80-degree day — Old Timer’s Day with Andy Pettitte visiting in the radio booth with announcers Dave Sims and Suzyn Waldman.

Bryan King, a 6’1 lefty was in, and he got the first 2 outs, then threw a quick pitch in to Trent Grisham, who was waiting to make eye contact.

Grisham hit the next pitch into the upper deck in right for a 5-4 Yankee lead.

As Andy Pettitte talked to Sims and Waldman on the radio.

8. Bednar Gets the Win

And so it was to the top of the 9th, with NY holding a 5-4 lead.

And David Bednar nailed it down — ground out, ground out, fly out for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

For the first time since 2019, the Yankees had the Old Timer’s play a game instead of just having ceremonies.

Most amazing was seeing Mickey Rivers at age 78 playing left field.

All the online info says Rivers is 76, but during interviews at the game he said he was 78, and something about how he closed the lid on itching to play again back 2 years ago when he was 76.

Graig Nettles was there — he had been left off Old Timer’s celebrations for years. Lou Piniella was there, as was Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, and Brian Doyle from the late 1970’s Yankees.

The Yankees celebrated the 2000 championship team; most of the old timer’s present were from that era — from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, El Duque, and Mariano Rivera, to Bernie Williams.

After the game it was revealed that Mariano Rivera tore his Achilles during the game and was at the hospital.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401696655

 

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