Trent Grisham's solo homer in the eighth lifts Yankees over Astros

On this Old-Timers’ Day, the Yankees recognized the 25th anniversary of their 2000 World Series-winning club.

Before the Yankees faced the Astros on Saturday afternoon, former manager Joe Torre sat on the dais and was asked about the adversity that team faced compared to the 2025 Yankees’ struggles.

These Yankees entered Saturday as losers of six of their last seven and 30 of their last 49. The 2000 Yankees finished the regular season as losers of 15 of 18, nearly blowing a nine-game AL East lead before ultimately winning a title.

“[Aaron Boone] knows what he has here, and he knows he's going to get a run out of these guys,” Torre said.

The Yankees certainly hope Saturday’s 5-4 win in front of 45,738 at the Stadium will jump-start that desperately needed winning stretch.

With two outs in the eighth and the score tied at 4-4, Trent Grisham crushed a solo homer 408 feet  into the second deck in rightfield. He emphatically roared at the dugout before strolling the bases.

Sixteen of Grisham’s career-high 21 homers — this one coming on a 3-and-1, 92.6-mph fastball in the middle of the zone from lefthander Bryan King — have either tied the score or given the Yankees the lead.

“I feel like we're close to getting really, really hot,” said Grisham, who went 3-for-4. “So just to get that, hopefully get something started, it felt good.”

Oddly, on the pitch before the home run, Grisham was in the batter's box but wasn't ready for the pitch from King. Fortunately for him, the sweeper broke well outside. The next pitch wound up in the hands of a fan.

The Yankees’ bullpen squandered a two-run lead in the eighth, but David Bednar (3-5, 2.45 ERA) recorded the final five outs in a gutsy showing.

Camilo Doval began the eighth with the Yankees ahead 4-2. With one out, he fielded Jesus Sanchez’s comebacker, but his wide throw to second pulled Anthony Volpe off the bag, scrapping what should have been an inning-ending double play.

Jose Altuve’s RBI single to left made it 4-3 and Jasson Dominguez’s throw home was not fielded on its way to the backstop, allowing Sanchez to move to third and Altuve to second on the Yankees' second error of the inning. Doval walked Carlos Correa to load the bases and Bednar entered.

Despite getting ahead 0-and-2 on Christian Walker, Bednar walked in the tying run, but he struck out Yainer Diaz and Taylor Trammell to escape the jam before throwing a 1-2-3, eight-pitch ninth.

“Coming in bases loaded, you can't walk guys,” Bednar said. “A leadoff walk, and you just want to make sure you keep it there.”

It was Bednar’s third 1 2/3-inning outing in four Yankees appearances.

“I was hoping Doval for one and Bednar for one,” Boone said. “Hopefully one of these times I can get Bednar one inning only, but just another big effort by him.”

Giancarlo Stanton played a serviceable seven innings in rightfield, his first outfield duty since he played leftfield on Sept. 14, 2023. Aaron Judge — dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow — can be used  only as a designated hitter for the time being, forcing Boone to put Stanton in right to keep both bats in the lineup.

Stanton caught Correa’s line drive to end the first inning in his only true putout opportunity. He fielded Correa’s RBI single that tied it at 2 in the fourth and rifled a clean one-hopper to Ben Rice, but the throw was a bit late as Sanchez scored.

“I felt good,” Stanton said. “I thought I was picking up the ball well. Had a good exchange on a throw.”

The Astros (65-52) pounced immediately, as Jeremy Pena clobbered Luis Gil’s fourth pitch of the game for a 404-foot homer.

The Yankees rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first but let lefthander Framber Valdez — who allowed eight hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings — off the hook.

Paul Goldschmidt singled, Judge walked on four pitches and Cody Bellinger singled to load the bases with none out for Stanton, who walked to force in a run. Rice’s sacrifice fly gave the Yankees the lead, but Volpe grounded into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

The Astros tied it at 2 in the fourth. Sanchez led off the inning with a 110.2-mph double over Stanton’s head and Correa’s single tied it.

Stanton had an RBI single and Bellinger scored on Rice’s 4-6-3 double play in the fifth to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.

Gil, making his second start of the season after missing more than four months with a right lat strain, was mostly sharp in his  5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs and six hits, struck out seven and walked one, throwing 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes.

A Yankees starter has not pitched at least six innings since July 30, when Will Warren threw six.

Given the Yankees’ recent disheartening losses, perhaps being on the winning side of a dramatic game could provide a spark.

“It could,” Grisham said. “We'll see if it does, and what happens after that? None of us know.”

By Ben Dickson

benjamin.dickson@newsday.com@bendickson__

Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.