The Yankees bullpen blew another lead but Trent Grisham‘s go-ahead homer in the eighth inning propelled New York to a 5-4 win over the Astros on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

After the bullpen allowed two runs on two walks, one hit and one big error in the eighth, Grisham smoked a fastball from left-hander Bryan King over the right field wall 408 feet. It’s Grisham’s 21st homer of the season, extending his career high. 

Here are the takeaways…

– Luis Gil had a rude start to his second start this season when Jeremy Pena took him deep to begin the game. Gil would settle in nicely, however, as he worked into the sixth inning. Gil had his command, unlike his first start when he allowed four walks against the Marlins down in Miami. That pointpoint command allowed him to clip corners and strike out seven batters, including the side in the third inning.

The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year tossed 91 pitches (60 strikes) across 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, one walk and striking out seven batters.

– The Yankees had another test in Framber Valdez, just a day after taking on Cy Young candidate Hunter Brown. Manager Aaron Boone sent out an unconventional lineup. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Dominguez were on the bench against the lefty, while Jose Caballero got the start at second and Giancarlo Stanton parked himself in right field.

The hitters would get to the southpaw early, loading the bases on two hits and one walk with no outs. A bases-loaded walk to Stanton pushed across the Yankees’ first run and a Ben Rice sac fly gave New York the lead. Anthony Volpe could not push across more, as his inning-ending double play put a stop to the second. New York would get traffic on the bases against Valdez after the first but had trouble cashing in. Through three innings, they were 1-for-6 with RISPS and left four runners on base.

– After Houston tied the game, the Yankees would score a pair in the fifth. A walk by Judge followed by back-to-back singles from Cody Bellinger and Stanton gave New York the lead. Rice grounded into a double play but it allowed Bellinger to score from third.

– It was a bit of an adventure for Stanton in right field. He had not problem on balls hit at him, but when he had to drift back toward the wall, you could tell he can’t bust it with his history of injuries. In the fourth, Jesus Sanchez lined a double off the wall that Stanton backed off to try and play it off the wall but let it skip past him. The play would cost the Yankees as Carlos Correa hit a single to right field to drive in Sanchez. To Stanton’s credit, his throw home on the single was a seed but was a half second too late to get Sanchez.

Stanton finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI.

– With the bullpen short on Friday, leading to another subpar Devin Williams appearance, it was well-rested on Saturday. Mark Leiter Jr. got an inning-ending double play to end the sixth, Luke Weaver got through the seventh in order on 11 pitches while Camilo Doval had the eighth. After allowing a leadoff walk, the new right-hander had an opportunity to end the inning when a chopper was hit right back to him, but his throw took Volpe off second base and everyone was safe. After Doval allowed a run-scoring single and walked the bases loaded, Boone went to David Bednar for the five-out save. Unfortuantely, Bednar walked in the tying run but struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

Bednar would mow down the Astros in order in the ninth after getting the lead for his second consecutive five-out save with the Yanks.

Game MVP: Trent Grisham

The Yankees looked destined for another heart-breaking loss, but Grisham’s three hits including that homer saved the day.

Highlights

G drives in Judge 👊 pic.twitter.com/Vy6MeNjH9n

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 9, 2025

Go-ahead solo home run from Trent Grisham in the 8th! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/K3aAqbY860

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 9, 2025

What’s next

The Yankees and Astros finish off their three-game set on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.

The Yankees will send Max Fried (12-4, 2.78 ERA) to the mound while Houston has yet to announce a starter.

Saturday afternoon’s matchup between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves drew attention for Jen Pawol becoming the first female umpire in MLB history. However, Jurickson Profar made sure the players on the field drew attention as well with a spectacular leaping catch in the fourth inning. 

Marlins DH Agustín Ramírez got an excellent swing on a low and inside 87 mph splitter from Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep, driving the ball deep to left field. Ramírez appeared to have his 18th home run of the season, but Profar expertly tracked the fly ball. The 12-year veteran timed his jump perfectly to get to the top of the left-field wall and snare the ball before it landed in the visitors’ bullpen.

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Waldrep had a similar reaction to most observers, holding his hands to his head in disbelief that Profar bailed him out of giving up a home run. 

The catch maintained a 3-0 lead for Atlanta in the top of the fourth and kept Waldrep’s line scoreless until he allowed a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Xavier Edwards. The rookie right-hander lasted until the seventh when he gave up a leadoff single to Liam Hicks and was pulled from the game after throwing 89 pitches. 

Yet Waldrep’s line score would have looked worse if not for Profar scaling the wall and reaching over the fence to rob the Marlins of a home run. 

Interestingly, advanced metrics haven’t provided a flattering portrayal of Profar’s defense in left field this season. He’s charged with -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -8 Outs Above Average in his 35 games (308 1/3 innings) at the position in 2025. 

Profar has played his most games defensively in left field with 534, followed by 219 games at second base and 104 at shortstop during a career in which his best asset has been his positional versatility. 

However, Waldrep and most Braves fans — and probably Ramírez, as well — might take issue with that assessment after the display of athleticism he provided on Saturday. 

The Braves went on to win, 7-1, with Waldrep allowing just one run in his second start of the season. 

Saturday afternoon’s matchup between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves drew attention for Jen Pawol becoming the first female umpire in MLB history. However, Jurickson Profar made sure the players on the field drew attention as well with a spectacular leaping catch in the fourth inning. 

Marlins DH Agustín Ramírez got an excellent swing on a low and inside 87 mph splitter from Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep, driving the ball deep to left field. Ramírez appeared to have his 18th home run of the season, but Profar expertly tracked the fly ball. The 12-year veteran timed his jump perfectly to get to the top of the left-field wall and snare the ball before it landed in the visitors’ bullpen.

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Waldrep had a similar reaction to most observers, holding his hands to his head in disbelief that Profar bailed him out of giving up a home run. 

The catch maintained a 3-0 lead for Atlanta in the top of the fourth and kept Waldrep’s line scoreless until he allowed a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Xavier Edwards. The rookie right-hander lasted until the seventh when he gave up a leadoff single to Liam Hicks and was pulled from the game after throwing 89 pitches. 

Yet Waldrep’s line score would have looked worse if not for Profar scaling the wall and reaching over the fence to rob the Marlins of a home run. 

Interestingly, advanced metrics haven’t provided a flattering portrayal of Profar’s defense in left field this season. He’s charged with -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -8 Outs Above Average in his 35 games (308 1/3 innings) at the position in 2025. 

Profar has played his most games defensively in left field with 534, followed by 219 games at second base and 104 at shortstop during a career in which his best asset has been his positional versatility. 

However, Waldrep and most Braves fans — and probably Ramírez, as well — might take issue with that assessment after the display of athleticism he provided on Saturday. 

The Braves went on to win, 7-1, with Waldrep allowing just one run in his second start of the season. 

Turner slugging away from home, outfield merry-go-round continues originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ARLINGTON, TX – A laugh, a shrug and a shake of the head is the reaction given Friday night from Trea Turner following the Phillies 9-1 win over the Texas Rangers. He went 2-for-4 with five RBI, a double and a home run.

That isn’t what particularly caused the response from Turner after the win … it was when the subject came up concerning his home and away power numbers.

Here’s the breakdown heading into Saturday’s game: Turner has 12 home runs on the road, none at Citizens Bank Park this season. His RBI totals are 14 at home compared with 37 on the road, and his slugging percentage is .500 on the road to .365 at home.

Pretty interesting when you consider Turner has played 58 games at home and 55 away and has only eight more at-bats on the road. Most of the rest of his numbers are comparable in the home and road splits, it’s just those power numbers.

“I have no idea to be honest with you,” Turner said of the disparity. “So I looked at my heat zones for home and away, and away I have a lot more zones. And then at home, I’m just hitting the ball away really well. I don’t think I’ve ever had that in my career to where I’ve always been good at pulling the ball. I take my hits the other way but at home it just seems like that outer third is kind of my sweet spot. I couldn’t tell you why. We were talking about it in the cage and I have no idea. Hopefully with a little adjustment the last few days, hopefully that kind of turns around and goes back to normal.”

In a nine-game stretch from July 27 to August 5, Turner hit a bit of a lull where he went 4-for-38 and saw his average dip down to .280. His last three games before Saturday, Turner has seemed to find a rhythm with six hits in 12 at-bats with a home run and six RBI.

“I have no idea what that is,” said Thomson of the road power surge. “I think it’s just coincidence, really. He’s hit home runs in CBP before. I don’t know what it is.”

Thomson’s extended plan for outfield rotation

The search for a “regular” outfield lineup continued Sunday as Nick Castellanos got a day off and the outfield consisted of Brandon Marsh in left, Harrison Bader in center and Max Kepler in right to go against Jacob deGrom.

“So, it was pre planned,” Thomson said. “I didn’t give it to you yesterday because I hadn’t seen Casty yet. This turf is, I like the turf because it plays a little bit more like grass than other turf but it’s pretty firm, pretty hard. So, I was trying to give all the outfielders one day off on it. That’s one thing. Plus, Bader’s had pretty good success against him. Three at-bats but he’s hit the ball hard twice and he’s got a couple of hits. I just felt it was a good day to give Casty the day off. I just thought, where we’re at, we’re trying to figure out who everybody is and how we’re going to align this thing. Just the matchup and the surface is probably the best day to do it.”

So, the question was posed, once you do figure it out, will there be pretty much a set starting outfield moving forward?

Thomson was non-committal.

“It’s probably just a day-to-day thing right now, unless somebody gets super-hot and then we have to go with the hot hand.”

Odds and ends

Thomson said that Jhoan Duran would see action Saturday, no matter what. “He needs to pitch today. Banks has had four days off, he’s had five days off. Although we had up last night and he got hot, he doesn’t like to go more than five days without seeing hitters. We’ll get him in tonight for sure. And Banks is really good when he pitches more often so we need to get him in too.”

On the pitching front, Thomson added that reliever David Robertson will join the team Sunday after his stint in Lehigh Valley. Aaron Nola will get another start there on Tuesday, and if all goes well it appears he will join the Phillies after that and possibly get a start next weekend. José Alvarado will pitch for the Iron Pigs on Sunday and then go again either Tuesday or Wednesday. He can rejoin the team on August 19th.

Jen Pawol made baseball history on Saturday by becoming the first woman to umpire an MLB regular-season game, taking the post at first base during Saturday’s matchup between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. The game is the first of a doubleheader the two teams will play. 

After the top of the first inning, Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep became a part of the story as the first pitcher to be checked for illegal substances when he came off the field and walked toward the Atlanta dugout. 

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Waldrep retired the Marlins in order in the first, striking out Xavier Edwards and Kyle Stowers with his splitter before getting Agustín Ramírez to ground out. He got through the frame with 13 pitches, eight of them thrown for strikes. 

As he walked toward the dugout, Pawol stopped Waldrep for a routine check of his glove and right hand for anything extra that may have aided in grip on the baseball. Nothing was amiss, and Waldrep went to the bench while Pawol returned to her position at first base. 

Pawol, 48, is set to umpire in all three games of the Marlins-Braves series this weekend. After umpiring first base for the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, she’ll be at third base for the nightcap. And on Sunday, Pawol will call balls and strikes behind home plate. 

Previously, she has called MLB spring training games during the past two seasons, the first woman to do so since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol is MLB’s first female umpire following the NBA breaking that gender barrier with Violet Palmer in 1997 and Sarah Thomas officiating an NFL game in 2015. In 2022, Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup game between Germany and Costa Rica. 

Pawol became the seventh woman to officiate a minor-league game after graduating from Minor League Baseball’s umpire camp in 2016. Her cap and mask from that game are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was promoted to Triple-A games. Altogether, she umpired over 1,200 minor-league games before making her MLB debut. 

Jen Pawol made baseball history on Saturday by becoming the first woman to umpire an MLB regular-season game, taking the post at first base during Saturday’s matchup between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. The game is the first of a doubleheader the two teams will play. 

After the top of the first inning, Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep became a part of the story as the first pitcher to be checked for illegal substances when he came off the field and walked toward the Atlanta dugout. 

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Waldrep retired the Marlins in order in the first, striking out Xavier Edwards and Kyle Stowers with his splitter before getting Agustín Ramírez to ground out. He got through the frame with 13 pitches, eight of them thrown for strikes. 

As he walked toward the dugout, Pawol stopped Waldrep for a routine check of his glove and right hand for anything extra that may have aided in grip on the baseball. Nothing was amiss, and Waldrep went to the bench while Pawol returned to her position at first base. 

Pawol, 48, is set to umpire in all three games of the Marlins-Braves series this weekend. After umpiring first base for the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, she’ll be at third base for the nightcap. And on Sunday, Pawol will call balls and strikes behind home plate. 

Previously, she has called MLB spring training games during the past two seasons, the first woman to do so since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol is MLB’s first female umpire following the NBA breaking that gender barrier with Violet Palmer in 1997 and Sarah Thomas officiating an NFL game in 2015. In 2022, Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup game between Germany and Costa Rica. 

Pawol became the seventh woman to officiate a minor-league game after graduating from Minor League Baseball’s umpire camp in 2016. Her cap and mask from that game are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was promoted to Triple-A games. Altogether, she umpired over 1,200 minor-league games before making her MLB debut. 

The Yankees are going through it right now. 

They were defeated by the Houston Astros in extra innings on Friday night, cutting their lead for the final wild card spot in the American League to just a half game. 

They’ve now dropped six of their last seven games, and with each loss, Aaron Boone’s seat seemingly gets hotter and hotter. 

The boos have been loud and heavy lately in the Bronx. 

Joe Torre has been there before; he understands what the long-time skipper is going through. 

“People always ask me who I root for, I root for people,” he told SNY’s Chelsea Sherrod at Old Timers’ Day. “I feel for Aaron, I’ve been in that place before — you’re trying to rearrange the furniture and hopefully it makes a difference.”

Though things aren’t looking good right now, Torre remains confident in the team under Boone’s leadership.

The four-time World Series champ certainly knows what it takes. 

“This club is too good to not have a run, there’s still time left,” he said. “If it were Sept. 1, I’d be more concerned, but I have a lot of confidence — Booney has been down this road before, he’s a third-generation major leaguer.

“I feel that they’re going to make a run and will be where they are supposed to be at the end of things.”

A familiar face and number are in the St. Louis Cardinals dugout this weekend at Busch Stadium. 

Former franchise stalwart and longtime backstop Yadier Molina — a 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and two-time World Series champ during his 19-year playing career with the Cardinals — is serving as a temporary bench coach this weekend as St. Louis hosts the rival Chicago Cubs.

He did so Friday night during a 5-0, series-opening win, and he’ll be back out there again Saturday night.

In December 2023, Molina joined the organization as special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. That said, due to family reasons, Molina was unable to follow through in that role like he expected, MLB.com reported, citing the ball club.

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This weekend marks Molina’s first trip to the stadium he called home from 2004-22 since longtime Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright had his retirement ceremony at the end of the 2023 season.

Molina, who reportedly was going to be in town for personal business anyway, reached out to the Cardinals about helping out, and the organization made it happen.

Oliver Marmol, who managed Molina in his final Cardinals season, invited the former catcher to join him in the dugout, and Molina gladly accepted the offer.

“The idea is to come here and help the catchers, give them advice and make them better,” Molina said Friday, per MLB.com. “I just want to be here to help. I’m not coming here to try and make things different. I just want to help the young guys however I can, and I just want to enjoy the game.

“I don’t miss playing; I miss being at the field. But just being here, and being back in St. Louis, that means a lot to me. In this town, they care about me and care about my family. It’s going to be a big night for me, and I’m looking forward to that.”

Molina, now 43, has more than dabbled in coaching since the iconic catcher retired at 41 in 2022. He notably managed Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He’s returning to that role for the 2026 WBC.

But he said he’ll wait at least another year after that before taking a full-time MLB coaching position.

“That’s the plan,” Molina said, per The Associated Press. “[My son’s] a [high school] senior right now. After he finishes school, that’s probably when I start coaching in the major leagues.”

While Molina will be with the Cardinals for only 48 hours this weekend, he’s interested in contributing at other points of the season, according to MLB.com, possibly as early as two weeks from now during St. Louis’ road trip to Florida.

The Cardinals have yet to make the playoffs since Molina retired. St. Louis is currently one game above .500 and 4.5 games back from an NL wild-card spot.

Molina’s presence Friday night coincided with a win. Perhaps his return to the Cardinals’ dugout can spark a postseason push.