NJ baseball: Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe at Delbarton youth camp
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe came back to Delbarton School to host a youth baseball camp on Aug. 7, 2025.
NEW YORK – If all else fails, the Yankees still have the home run threat.
Trent Grisham’s tie-breaking blast saved them Saturday afternoon, after the bullpen – the non-Devin Williams division – and two more errors nearly wrecked Old-Timer’s Day.
Affectionately dubbed ‘The Big Sleep,’ Grisham’s eighth inning, two-out, solo shot awoke the Stadium crowd and lifted the Yankees to a 5-4 win against the hated Houston Astros.
Entering Saturday, the Yankees were 19-30 since June 13, clinging to a wild card spot and somewhat mirroring the brutal regular season finish by Joe Torre’s 2000 Yankees.
That team rallied in October to win a third straight World Series for the franchise and its 25th anniversary was celebrated Saturday.
“Joe and I have actually been in contact a lot over the last couple weeks. He’s kind of hanging on everything with us,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who named Torre an honorary coach at last month’s All-Star Game.
“We have guys capable of going on a really good run, but…it’s all talk,” said Boone. “We’ve got to go out and make it (happen).”
After an initial stumble, David Bednar seals Yankees win
The lefty-hitting Grisham’s 21st homer of the year, off lefty Bryan King, erased an ugly visiting eighth inning when a blown double play chance and Jasson Dominguez’s throwing error allowed the Astros to tie it, 4-4.
After fielding a Jesus Sanchez comebacker, Yanks reliever Camilo Doval threw wide of shortstop Anthony Volpe at second base, putting runners at first and second with one out.
That set up Jose Altuve’s gritty, RBI single to left on a 1-2 slider.
Just inserted into left field (with Giancarlo Stanton subbed out of his first outfield start since 2023), Dominguez overthrew the cutoff man and his peg to the plate sailed toward the backstop.
That allowed the runners an extra 90 feet, and Doval exited after walking Carlos Correa to load the bases.
Enter Bednar, who walked Christian Walker on a full-count curveball to force home the tying run, before striking out Yainer Diaz and Taylor Trammell to end the inning.
“Very frustrated,” Bednar said of the walk. “You just want to make sure you keep it there.”
Bednar is now the ninth inning choice, after a week that saw Williams play a part in three late Yankees’ losses – Monday and Tuesday at Texas and Friday’s 10-inning, 5-3 loss to the Astros.
Giancarlo Stanton’s encouraging day in right field
Stanton walked twice and contributed an RBI single before being subbed out defensively, as the Yankees got to lefty Framber Valdez (5.1 IP, 4 ER) early, with two first-inning runs.
In his second start of the year, coming back from a lat strain, Luis Gil yielded a leadoff homer to Jeremy Pena, but gave up just one more run across 5.1 innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts.
“I was picking up the ball well,’’ said Stanton, adding that it was “good to be on the roll call again’’ with the right field bleacher fans.
Aaron Judge singled and walked twice as the DH, a spot he’ll occupy for an undetermined period until his strained right flexor heals.
Still early in his throwing program, Judge’s timetable to resume playing right field is not yet known, per Boone.
Stanton’s day-to-day status as an outfielder isn’t clear, either, but he’s game for “whatever’s needed, really,’’ adding that subbing him out of games with a lead is the best scenario for multiple starts.