The New York Yankees avoided being swept for the first time this season, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-4, at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night.
After dropping the first two games of the highly-anticipated weekend series without the services of Juan Soto, the Yankees came through with some big hits when it counted most.
The hero of the night was Trent Grisham, who was thrust into the fifth spot in the lineup as Anthony Rizzo got the night off amid his struggles at the plate.
MORE: Yankees reveal potential return date for Juan Soto
Grisham came through with a huge three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge also added some insurance with a solo home run, his MLB-leading 24th of the season, in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The game got a bit hairy at the end after Clay Holmes allowed a pair of two-out singles, putting Mookie Betts at the plate as the go-ahead run. But Holmes dug deep to strike out the former Red Sox star to end the game.
Clay Holmes closes it out for the @Yankees! #SundayNightBaseball pic.twitter.com/1eYAtjCk13
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2024
Yankees vs Dodgers game recap final box score
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
LAD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
NYY | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
Yankees vs Dodgers results, highlights
Trent Grisham plays the hero
Getting the start in center field as Judge moves to right in lieu of the Soto injury, Grisham entered this game with a paltry .432 OPS. However, he has had a knack for the long ball during his limited playing time this season. In fact, two of his three hits this season have been home runs.
Grisham only had one hit Sunday night, but it was a big one. With the Yankees down 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Grisham smoked a three-run homer to deep right field with a 107.7 exit velocity.
TRENT GRISHAM THREE-RUN BOMB pic.twitter.com/jzyC3ojttZ
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 10, 2024
Considering this struggles at the plate this season, a big homer like this one was crucial.
Teoscar Hernandez continued his reign of terror
One Dodgers player the Yankees can't wait to see leave the Bronx is Hernandez. He continued to be a Yankee killer this weekend, adding another home run to his count after dropping two Saturday night. He also hit a double.
Teoscar Hernandez homers for the Dodgers LEAD! pic.twitter.com/MGQUdPTtUS
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 10, 2024
The former Blue Jay was 6-for-12 with three home runs, two doubles and nine RBI this series.
Luis Gil comes back down to Earth
Let's be honest, we shouldn't expect Gil to make some type of history every time he pitches. That's what he's done, but it's unfair to hold the rookie to such high standards. He came back to Earth on Sunday night, but he still gave the Yankees a chance by keeping them in the game.
Gil tossed 5.2 innings pitched, allowing five hits, three earned runs and one walk while striking out five batters. He threw 96 pitches (60 strikes) and generated 15 swings and misses.
Aaron Judge launches a dagger to the moon
Holding a one-run lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, Judge took matters into his own hands giving his bullpen some insurance. After just missing on a hanging breaking ball, Judge made sure not to miss the next time around.
Aaron Judge DEEP into the night. #SundayNightBaseball pic.twitter.com/XT7TX5obug
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2024
The Yankees captain sent a Yohan Ramirez breaking ball into orbit to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Judge went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. He raised his season average to .305.
For more Yankees coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.