Grisham Returns; Cole Perseveres — Yanks End Losing Streak. NY 5 Minny 2

July 4, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Trent Grisham jacks solo HR in 1st to tie game 1-1.

Trent Grisham returned from the injured list and sparked the Yankees to a 5-2 win over Minnesota on a hot, humid night at Yankee Stadium — the game delayed 1.5 hours by a tornado-like thunderstorm that was followed by an Amazing sunset.

The win broke the Yankees’ 7-game losing streak.

Grisham:

  • Hit a momentum-changing Homer in the 1st inning, tying the game 1-1;
  • Singled and scored on a Ben Rice HR in the 3rd;
  • Made a terrific catch in centerfield off a line drive to start the 5th; and
  • Drove in an insurance run with a sac fly in the 7th.

Gerrit Cole started and was bull-dog dominant — refusing to leave the game when manager Aaron Boone suggested he come out after the 4th — and pitched 5 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball, striking out 7 and walking none to get the win.

Rice’s 2-run HR in the 3rd gave NY a 3-1 lead.

Jose Caballero got a clutch RBI single in the 7th to make it 4-2, and the NY bullpen of Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, Fernando Cruz, and David Bednar pitched 4 shutout innings of relief.

“Stuff was pretty good; location was pretty good; mix was solid overall,” said Gerrit Cole afterwards. When told Aaron Boone said he was thinking of taking him out after 4 innings, Cole said: “He was definitely going to take me out and I definitely wasn’t coming out. I said I would like to stay in please.”

NY improves to 49-38 and remain 4 games behind Tampa in the AL East. Minnesota falls to 42-47.

1. Grisham Returns; Hits HR in 1st to Change Game

Grisham had been out a few weeks with a hamstring pull, and the Yankees have needed him — as their offense has bogged down the last week and been one of the reasons for the 7-game losing streak — with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton also out.

But Grisham was back and immediately turned the game around after Gerrit Cole allowed a solo HR in the top of the 1st — by ripping a line-drive homer to right off 25-year-old, 5’10 righthander Mike Paredes leading off the bottom of the 1st.

2. Rice Rice Baby — Hits HR to Put NY Up 3-1 in 3rd

Paredes proceeded to retire the next 8 Yankees in a row — pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, when Grisham came up for a 2nd time with 2 outs in the 3rd — and singled to right.

That allowed Ben Rice to come up, and he ripped a 357-foot HR to right for a 3-1 Yankee lead.

3. Cole Bulldog Good

Gerrit Cole meanwhile, was bulldog good — throwing a ton of 1st-pitch strikes and looking sharp on the mound. Good news for NY as he has been a bit uneven since returning from Tommy John surgery.

Cole allowed a solo HR in the 1st to 2nd baseman Kody Clemens — who hit a curveball that missed, then pitched around a leadoff double in the 2nd (getting shallow flyout, groundout, strike out), and a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd.

He allowed a leadoff double to Clemens in the 4th — then got 2 strikeouts — but with 2 outs, Caratini singled to left to make it a 3-2 game.

Cole got centerfielder Ryan Kreidler to pop up in foul ground — which should have ended the inning — but Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells ran into each other and the ball dropped.

Cole reared back and struck out Kreidler to end the inning.

In the dugout, Boone suggested to Cole that he come out after 4 but Cole said ‘no thank you’ and pitched a shutout 5th — getting help from Trent Grisham who snared a line drive by shortstop Tristan Gray to start the inning — then surrendering a 1-out double by rightfielder Luke Keaschall — but getting a groundout and fly out to end his night, leaving with NY up 3-2.

Cole goes to 3-3 4.01.

4. Caballero & Grisham Put NY up 5-2 in 7th

Paredes left after 4 innings on the hot, humid night.

6’4 lefty Kody Funderburk came in to pitch a shutout 5th and 6th — retiring all 6 batters in a row.

So the game went to the bottom of the 7th with NY holding a precarious 3-2 lead, when the Yanks jumped on 6’4 righty Eric Orze.

Ryan McMahon led off with a double, and Jose Caballero singled him home. NY 4 Minny 2.

Caballero stole 2nd, Austin Wells bunted him to 3rd, and Trent Grisham hit a sac fly to right — again off one knee — to put NY ahead 5-2.

5. Yankee Pen Throws Down 4 Shutout Innings

The Yankee pen was fantastic.

  • Brent Headrick pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th, with 2 strikeouts, holding the score 3-2 NY.
  • Paul Blackburn pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, with 2 strikeouts, holding the score 3-2 NY.
  • Fernando Cruz pitched in and out of trouble in the 8th. With NY holding a 5-2 lead, Cruz allowed a leadoff infield single, walked a batter, got a line out to left and a groundout to 1st, and walked a batter to load the bases with 2 outs — before getting Lewis on a groundout to 3rd — Ryan McMahon making the play.
  • David Bednar then struck out the side 1-2-3 in the 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816004

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