The New York Yankees prevented a sweep from the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday after pulling off an inspirational 6-4 victory.
The team went to the series without star player Juan Soto, but several guys stepped up in the third and last game at home.
Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge teamed up to rally their team to a victory, with the former hitting a go-ahead and a three-run homer.
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Judge was also sensational as he hit a major league-leading 24th home run in the eighth inning. It was his eighth in 10 career games against the Dodgers.
The players were inspirational, but the crowd did not exude the same energy when the team struggled at one point in the game.
As Grisham took to the field to bat against pitcher Tyler Glasnow, the crowd chanted, "We want Soto."
The 25-year-old outfielder was ruled out for the Dodgers series due to an elbow inflammation.
Judge did not like how the crowd treated Grisham but commended his teammate for delivering for the team amid the distraction.
"I wasn't too happy with it, but I think he made a good point, got his point across there with that homer," Judge said.
For his part, Grisham paid no mind to the jeering during that moment.
"I was just happy that I was able to stay present in the moment and worry about myself and putting a good swing on one," he explained.
Fans who did not want him immediately changed their minds as they chanted "We Want Grisham" when he returned to the plate in the eighth inning.
Juan Soto's return
Fans need to be patient. Juan Soto is only day-to-day, and manager Aaron Boone assured him he would not be out long.
"I think he's gonna do his normal, get-ready-for-a-game routine; hopefully, all that goes well, and he'll maybe be an option for us, maybe off the bench, we'll see," Boone said, adding that the star outfielder could return in their visit to the Kansas City Royals for a four-game series.
The manager also assured that Soto would not be on the injured list.
Soto has been some sort of Ironman in his entire MLB career. The three straight Dodgers games he missed was the longest consecutive layoff since entering the majors in 2018.
He played all of the games of the 2023 season as part of the San Diego Padres.
He was diagnosed with an elbow inflammation last Friday.
"I actually just woke up one day, felt the tightness and discomfort in my forearm," Soto told reporters when asked how he got the injury.
"We've been working on it, and we've been trying to get away with it and it hasn't gone out."
The Yankees have flipped their disappointing 2023 season, currently holding the league-best record of 46-21.
Soto is among the reasons why they are atop the standings.
He was hitting .318 before going down. He had 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.
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