Yankees' Trent Grisham continues to capitalize on playing time, homers twice in win over Pirates

Gary Phillips, New York Daily News on Apr 5, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — After hitting his first home run of the 2025 season on April 3, Trent Grisham noted that “getting consistent at-bats” has factored into his hot start.

The 28-year-old barely played for the Yankees in 2024 after joining the team in the Juan Soto trade. A starter throughout his career, the Gold Glove center fielder hit .190 over a career-low 179 at-bats as the Yankees committed to an offensively inept Alex Verdugo in left. However, Grisham demonstrated some power with his limited opportunities, belting nine homers in 76 games.

Grisham displayed some more pop on Saturday, hitting two homers in the Yankees’ 10-4 win over the Pirates at PNC Park. The veteran, batting ninth and playing for the third straight day with Cody Bellinger sidelined by a stiff back, is now hitting .471 with a 1.630 OPS, three homers and seven RBIs over seven total games.

“I feel like his swing has been in a good spot,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday. “I love how he looks right now. He’s obviously playing really well, and I’m glad I’ve been able to get him some real opportunities.”

Grisham’s first homer of Saturday’s game came off left-handed Pirates starter Bailey Falter in the third inning. A solo blast, the ball traveled over PNC’s high right-field wall and gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead after Austin Wells knocked an RBI single in the first frame.

The Yankees squandered that lead in the fourth inning, as the Pirates put four runs on the board after doubles from Ke’Bryan Hayes and Enmanuel Valdez, an Endy Rodríguez groundout and two walks from Marcus Stroman.

Stroman’s day ended with the inning despite cruising through the first three, but Grisham’s was just getting started.

With the Yankees trailing 4-2, the left-handed swinger shot a ball to the opposite corner for a three-run homer. Once again, Falter faltered as the Yankees took a 5-4 lead.

The Bombers, whose 25 home runs are the most ever through a team’s first eight games, weren’t done there, as Anthony Volpe unloaded the bases when he smoked a double to deep center a few batters later. Paul Goldschmidt plated a ninth run with an RBI single in the eighth inning, while a ninth-inning sac fly from Wells gave the Yankees an even 10.

And while Stroman created an extended workday for the Yankees’ bullpen, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz and Ryan Yarbrough held Pittsburgh scoreless through the end of the game.

With Saturday’s win behind them — there were no rain delays despite concerns about inclement weather — the Yankees can try for their second sweep of the season on Sunday.

Will Warren is slated to pitch the series finale. The rookie right-hander battled in his season debut, tallying two earned runs, one hit, four walks and four strikeouts over five innings against the Diamondbacks on April 1.

Andrew Heaney will start for the Pirates. A former Yankee, the southpaw held the Marlins to one run over five innings in his first start of the season on March 30.