The New York Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 on Saturday afternoon at PNC Park. The win moved the Yankees to a 6-2 record on the season. Center fielder Trent Grisham, starting in place of the injured Cody Bellinger, hit two home runs and drove in four runs. This was the third multi-homer game of Grisham’s career and his first since 2020.
The Yankees scored first in the second inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was hit by a pitch and then stole second base. Austin Wells came to the plate and fouled off four tough pitches before hitting a single up the middle to bring Chisholm home, which gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Grisham led off and hit a solo home run over the right-field scoreboard. That made it 2-0 in favor of the Yankees.
Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a strong start in the first three innings, allowing only one baserunner. However, the fourth inning was different. He walked the first two batters of the inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a double that scored a run. Another walk loaded the bases.
After a fielder’s choice scored another run, Enmanuel Valdez hit a two-run double, putting the Pirates ahead 4-2. Stroman finished the inning but was replaced after four innings. He gave up four runs on three hits and three walks. He also struck out three and threw 74 pitches.
In the top of the fifth, the Yankees came back quickly. Jasson Domínguez hit a leadoff double. Oswald Peraza followed with a single. Grisham then hit his second home run of the day, this one to left field. It was a three-run homer that gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
After that, Bailey Falter, the Pirates’ starting pitcher, walked Paul Goldschmidt and allowed a single to Ben Rice. That ended Falter’s outing. He pitched four-plus innings, gave up seven runs and seven hits, and took the loss.
Colin Holderman replaced him but hit Aaron Judge with his first pitch, loading the bases. Chisholm struck out, but Anthony Volpe hit a double to deep center that cleared the bases. That gave the Yankees an 8-4 lead. The Yankees sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth and scored six runs.
After Stroman’s early exit, the Yankees bullpen took over. Tim Hill pitched a scoreless fifth inning. He walked one batter but ended the inning with a double play started by Volpe.
Mark Leiter Jr. entered in the sixth with one on and no outs. He also got a quick double play and kept the Pirates scoreless. He was credited with the win.
Fernando Cruz pitched the seventh and struck out two batters, using his strong splitter to get swings and misses.
In the eighth inning, Peraza doubled, and Goldschmidt drove him in with his third hit of the game. That made the score 9-4.
Ryan Yarbrough pitched the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, he struck out the side. In the ninth, he allowed a single but ended the game without allowing any runs.
In the top of the ninth, Judge led off with a single. Volpe then hit a ball off the right-field wall, putting runners on second and third. Wells hit a fly ball to left, scoring Judge and giving the Yankees their tenth run.
Every Yankee in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit in the game. Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Peraza had two hits and scored twice. Volpe had two hits, including the bases-clearing double, and drove in three runs. Judge went 1-for-4 and scored twice.
Grisham, now hitting .471 on the season with eight hits in 17 at-bats, made the most of his chance to start. After playing in only 76 games last season and batting .190, he has come out strong in 2025. He has reached base in six of the seven games he’s appeared in.
Grisham was part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees. Soto is now with the Mets, but Grisham remains in the Bronx, where he started the year as the fourth outfielder behind Bellinger, Domínguez, and Judge.
After the game, the Yankees had hit 25 home runs in their first eight games. That broke the MLB record for most home runs in a team’s first eight games, passing the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals, who hit 23.
The Pirates dropped to 2-7 with the loss, matching their worst start since the 2020 season, when they began 2-10. Hayes led Pittsburgh with two hits and an RBI. Valdez had a two-run double, his first hit of the season.
The Yankees and Pirates will wrap up the series Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, weather permitting. The first pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. Rookie Will Warren will make his second career start for New York. He’ll face left-hander Andrew Heaney, a former Yankee now pitching for Pittsburgh.
The Yankees are aiming for their second series sweep over a National League Central team in nine days.
