WASHINGTON — Trent Grisham delivered a dramatic two-run shot in the eighth inning Saturday to lift the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Nationals, handing Yankees manager Aaron Boone his 750th win at the helm.
Early power for Nationals
The Nationals struck first against New York starter Cam Schlittler. On the very first pitch of the game, James Wood launched a home run, and two batters later Curtis Mead also went deep to make it 2-0. Schlittler, who had been stingy on the road this season, settled in and worked effectively into the seventh inning despite giving up the early long balls.
Washington starter usage was unconventional: PJ Poulin recorded the first five outs, then Miles Mikolas followed as an opener and yielded four hits across four innings.
Eighth-inning rally and late damage
The game turned in the eighth. Orlando Ribalta surrendered a one-out solo homer to Ryan McMahon and issued a walk to Ben Rice. Managerial moves brought in Clayton Beeter, and Grisham greeted him with a towering drive to the second deck in right field that shifted the lead to New York, 3-2. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a solo shot, his first since June 24, to finalize the scoring.
| Key moment | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Leadoff | James Wood | Home run (1st pitch) |
| Two batters later | Curtis Mead | Home run |
| Eighth inning | Trent Grisham | Two-run homer, gave Yankees lead |
| Later in 8th | Paul Goldschmidt | Solo homer |
Bullets on standings and pitching
- David Bednar closed the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances and extended his scoreless streak to 16 outings.
- The Nationals now lead Major League Baseball with 27 blown saves this season.
- New York and Washington rank first and second in the majors in home runs; so far in the series, 13 of 14 runs have come via the long ball.
New York has won three straight games after a slump that saw them lose 11 of 13. For Schlittler, the early Washington homers nudged his American League-leading ERA from 2.01 to 2.05, interrupting an eight-start streak on the road in which he had limited opponents to one earned run or fewer.
James Wood extended a hot stretch: the homer was his 27th of the season, and he recorded his second consecutive three-hit game. Wood's nine leadoff homers this year tie the franchise mark set by Alfonso Soriano in 2006.
Friday's opener in the series ended similarly, with New York rallying late to win 5-3. In that game, Brent Headrick earned the victory in relief, and Bednar provided multiple innings before finishing the ninth.
The series highlights the swing-for-the-fences identity shared by both clubs and underlines a persistent problem for Washington: late-inning leads slipping away. For Nationals fans, the bullpen's continued struggles — reflected in the league-leading blown saves total — remain the clearest area of concern as the season progresses.
Reporting from Nationals Park.
