Nothing about the Yankees’ terrific start to May has been guaranteed. The Bombers have routinely had to scratch and claw to stay ahead in ballgames—dodging poor fortune and injury scares to emerge out the other side with a hard-earned win. Today’s getaway day game against Texas was no different.
Scheduled starter Ryan Weathers was out sick, so opener Paul Blackburn and MLB newcomer Brendan Beck stepped up to hold the Rangers close. When Jasson Domínguez had to leave the game after crashing into the wall on the first play of the game, the Bombers picked him up with an immediate run. And when the snakebitten Trent Grisham got an opportunity to flip the contest on his head, he provided the go-ahead three-run double, sparking a six-run sixth inning that carried the Yankees to an 9-2 triumph. New York’s 26th win of the season marked their sixth-consecutive series victory—and their second over Texas in as many weeks.
Domínguez was only able to contribute for one play this afternoon, and while it was an important play, it was also a painful one. He raced to the track to haul in a fly ball from leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo, and collided hard into the fence in front of the auxiliary scoreboard. He crashed to the ground, directly slamming the wall with his left shoulder and the side of his head—and struggled to get back up. The full training staff rushed to check on him, and ultimately brought out the medical cart to take him off the field. The team later announced that he was in concussion protocol and that his shoulder needed tests.
In the aftermath of that collision, Cody Bellinger moved to left, Amed Rosario shifted from third base to right field, and Ryan McMahon came off the bench to play third base. Paul Blackburn had some command issues after the lengthy injury delay, but stranded two Rangers without surrendering a run.
The Yankees came out ready to hit—and apparently to torture Joc Pederson specifically. The veteran hadn’t played the outfield in the Majors since 2023, and it showed when a fly ball from Paul Goldschmidt on MacKenzie Gore’s first pitch caromed away from him and led to a triple. After third baseman Josh Jung lunged to snag a hotshot from Aaron Judge and save a run, Cody Bellinger figured hitting the ball to right was a better strategy. His sinking liner dropped in front of a diving Pederson and bounced past him, reaching the wall. Bellinger motored to third for a second triple and a 1-0 Yankee lead.
Blackburn departed after the first inning in favor of 27-year-old Brendan Beck, making his MLB debut. Beck retired the first two batters he faced on five pitches, then struck out Justin Foscue for his first K in the show after a two-out walk.
But the ghost of the 2021 Joey Gallo trade continued to haunt. Ezequel Duran victimized the Yankees yet again in the top of the third with a home run to left field—his fifth hit of the series in just his eighth at-bat to tie the game at 1.
Overall, Beck acquitted himself fairly well in his maiden voyage toeing the slab in the Boogie Down. He had some issues with walks, but was able to pitch around the first two, completing three full innings before his third and final walk to the leadoff hitter of the fifth inning spelled the end of his afternoon.
That runner came around to score on a fielder’s choice by—who else—Duran. It would have been a base hit were it not for a beautiful diving play by Jazz Chisholm Jr., who spun to second to record a forceout. Tim Hill retired the next two batters to prevent the Rangers from building on their 2-1 lead.
The Ranger defense continued to engage in misadventures behind Gore. An infield pop dropped for the often-unlucky Trent Grisham in the fifth—though Gore was able to pitch around it to retire the side. Then in the sixth, another popup got lost in the sun, this time to the benefit of Rosario. Combined with a pair of walks to Bellinger and McMahon, that loaded the bases for Trent with one man out.
We all know the Big Sleep’s been hitting into some hard luck so far this season, so when he got some fortune on that popup, it felt like a sign the tide was turning. It only took one more inning for Grisham to make good, lashing a ball into the left-center gap to clear the bases, send Gore to the showers, and vault the Bombers back into the lead.
Two batters later, J.C. Escarra brought Grisham all the way around on a cheeky check-swing knock to left, extending the lead to 5-2. Then the top of the lineup came out to play against Texas’ bullpen, with RBI singles from Judge and Bellinger to put the finishing touches on a six-run sixth.
Credit where it’s due to Aaron Boone: placing Grisham seventh in the lineup really worked out. Having a hitter of Trent’s caliber—comfortable in clutch situations and rarely giving strikes away—was key to the Yanks grabbing a crooked number.
Grisham’s stellar day wasn’t done. With two outs in the seventh, he smacked his third hit of the game, stole second base, and raced home on an RBI double by Max Schuemann—the utilityman’s first hit and RBI in pinstripes. I’ve deservedly given top billing to Grisham this afternoon, but Bellinger was not about to be outdone, hitting a single in the eighth inning to reach base for the fourth time on the day—with three hits and a walk. He also scored on McMahon’s second hit. McMahon, of course, is also continuing to turn it around at the plate.
The Yankees finished with 14 hits on the afternoon. Everybody in the starting lineup—when you substitute RyMac for Domínguez—picked up a knock, and six grabbed an RBI. That’s what made this win so enjoyable, even with Jasson’s hard fall. Camilo Doval got the final three outs to finish the ballgame.
The Bombers are off on a happy flight to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for three games. The series opener will feature a can’t-miss pitching matchup between Max Fried and young phenom Jacob Misiorowski. First pitch slides in at 7:40 PM ET on YES.
