Trent Grisham Turns Yankee Stadium Jeers To Cheers With Game Winning HR

The Yankees entered their Sunday night baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers 45-21, tops of the American League, and still their fans wanted more.

With Juan Soto sitting out due to forearm inflammation, manager Aaron Boone inserted fourth outfielder Trent Grisham, who bats .083, into their Sunday night finale against the Dodgers. In the sixth inning, the former Padre, who came over to New York with Soto, came up to bat with two runners on base, trailing 3-2. The Yankee faithful did not believe in their own and began an audible chant, “We want Soto, we want Soto!”

With one swing of the bat, Grisham pulled a fastball deep to right field, smashing a 394-foot HR and proving the home fans wrong against Tyler Glasnow, the MLB leader in strikeouts. His blast became the difference in the game as the Yankees took the series finale against the Dodgers, 6-4. Grisham has only five hits this season, but three are round-trippers. With the trade deadline just six weeks away, general manager Brian Cashman faces a decision of sticking with the OF as their backup option or acquiring another bat.

After the game, captain Aaron Judge did not appreciate the lack of support from the crowd.

“I wasn’t too happy with it,” Judge said. “But I think he made a good point, got his point across there with that homer.”

The surprising public criticism of Grisham is the only issue Yankees fans have in June. Boone’s ball club continues to set the pace in the AL and lead the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East by 2.5 games. Their loss to the Dodgers marked their first time losing a series since dropping three of four to the Orioles on May 2, as their bats and pitching dominated in May.

Soto’s forearm inflammation is not considered serious, and he re-entered the Yankee lineup in his usual #2 spot against the Kansas City Royals on Monday and played again on Tuesday. In his first at-bat since Thursday, Soto singled and came around to score from an Alex Verdugo RBI.