About Last Night: Yankees 12, Braves 9

About Last Night: Yankees 12, Braves 9

By Derek McAdam

July 20, 2025

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Quick Stats:

W: Luke Weaver (2-3): 1.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K

L: Rafael Iglesias (4-6): 1 IP, 2 H,, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Home Runs:

NYY: Anthony Volpe (11, 12), Cody Bellinger (17), Trent Grisham (17)

ATL: Michael Harris II (7), Ozzie Albies (9)

The Big Story:

The Yankees were coming off a 7-3 defeat Friday night that ended up being a bullpen game fresh off the All-Star break. However, the Yankees sent Will Warren to the mound in hopes of eating some innings and saving some arms in the bullpen. They were also trying to snap a three-game losing streak that began exactly a week prior to last night’s game.

In the 3rd, Harris hit a 438-foot home run to center field, giving the Braves their first hit and putting them on the board first with a 1-0 lead.

The Yankees had their first scoring opportunity in the 4th when they put two runners on with two outs for Jazz Chisholm Jr., who then grounded out to end the inning.

Similarly to Friday night, in the bottom of the inning, Albies hit a three-run home run down the right field line to give the Braves a commanding 4-0 lead. Later in the inning, Nick Allen hit a ground ball to the right side, allowing a run to score from second to give the Braves a 5-0 lead.

Warren cruised through the first three innings, despite giving up the home run to Harris. But the 4th inning was an absolute nightmare for him, as he threw more than 40 pitches and failed to put batters away.

The Yankees got on the board in the 5th with a two-run home run from Anthony Volpe. However, the Yankees’ bullpen gave it right back when Albies hit a two-run single to give the Braves a 7-2 lead.

In the 6th, the Yankees loaded the bases with no one out for Chisholm, who ripped an RBI single into right to make the score 7-3 Braves. Grisham then reached on an error to make the new score 7-4 before Volpe hit a long sacrifice fly to add another run to make the new score 7-5. Austin Wells then hit into a groundout to score Chisholm and make the new score 7-6 Braves.

But the Braves extended their lead in the bottom of the inning when Matt Olson laced an RBI single into right field to give the Braves an 8-6 lead.

However, Bellinger led off the 7th with a solo home run to right field, cutting the Braves’ lead to 8-7.

In the 8th, Volpe hit a solo home run to tie the game at 8-8. The home run was his second of the game and his first career multi-home run game.

Paul Goldschmidt led off the 9th with a double that just missed being a home run. After intentionally walking Judge, Giancarlo Stanton came to the plate and walked to load the bases again for Chisholm, who hit a line drive straight at the third baseman for the second out. However, Grisham hit a go-ahead grand slam to make the new score 12-8 Yankees.

Devin Williams came on in the 9th to try and close it out for the Yankees, although it was not a save situation. The Braves did get one run across the plate, but it was not enough and the Yankees were able to secure a win.

Player of the Game:

There’s no doubt that Grisham deserves this honor. His grand slam ultimately gave the Yankees the lead and the much-needed win.

Notable Performances:

Volpe put together several nice at bats and had a couple of very nicely-timed home runs. Someone who did not have any fireworks at the plate was Stanton, but he had a few solid at-bats as well, including a couple of big walks in the 6th and 9th. Luke Weaver also had a very effective relief appearance and kept this game within reach and eventually keeping it tied.

Better to Forget:

It was not a great night for Warren, who had one of the worst innings of Yankee baseball I’ve seen pitched this year. He just cannot seem to find a groove on the mound.

My Take:

This was one of the better Yankee games I have seen in my lifetime. Although the Yankees did not tie the game until the 8th, it was a back-and-forth game between these two teams that just kept me engaged from start to finish. No matter what the outcome would have been, the Yankees showed some tremendous heart in this game. They were down by five runs multiple times and did not let that stop them from making a comeback.

Volpe had a very solid night at the plate, getting the Yankees on the board and then hitting the game-tying shot in the 8th. He also just missed a grand slam with his sacrifice fly in the 6th. For someone who has been horrific at the plate over the past 30ish games, this was a performance that he, and the Yankees, desperately needed.

However, there were still some glaring fundamental mistakes that occurred in last night’s game, specifically in the 4th. When Drake Baldwin hit a line drive double off the right field wall, Aaron Judge fielded the ball quickly and threw it into second base…where no one was covering. Later in the inning on Allen’s infield single, Warren failed cover the bag quickly and Goldschmidt incorrectly decided to throw over to the base, allowing a run to score. Had he held on to the ball, the runner at third would have stayed.

When it rains, it pours, and that’s exactly how the Yankees are when it comes to a lack of fundamentals. It’s never just one mistake per inning, but usually two or three. But this is just a consequence of Aaron Boone at the helm. Players are not held accountable and adjustments are not made. That is exactly why the Los Angeles Dodgers took care of business in October last year.

And of course, Grisham was the hero for the Yankees. His grand slam in the 9th was just a work of art to see and one of those moments that made my face hurt from smiling so much. Not only did it give them the lead, but it gave them a comfortable lead heading into the bottom of the 9th.

This game was absolute insanity. And it was well worth staying up late before having to be up for work at 5:30 this morning. It’s going to be an interesting rubber game this afternoon, but I doubt it will be anywhere as close to interesting as last night’s game.

What a win for this team and what a way to snap the losing streak. Let’s go for the series win this afternoon.

What’s Next?:

The Yankees will be back in action this afternoon in the final game of the three-game series. Marcus Stroman is scheduled to start for the Yankees, while Grant Holmes is scheduled to start for the Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. from Truist Park in Atlanta.

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Image created by Google Gemini ("Create a super hero wearinga cape as a Yankee.")