New York Yankees 10-5 Minnesota Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — Trent Grisham connected twice, Cody Bellinger added a late insurance blast, and Aaron Judge maintained his grip on the Major League batting lead as the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 10-5 Wednesday night at Target Field.
The triumph completed a determined recovery effort for a Yankees squad that nearly surrendered a nine-run advantage just one day earlier. The victory moved New York within four games of AL East leader Toronto while preserving their lead in the AL wild card race entering September’s final weeks.
Grisham’s career night fuels offense
Trent Grisham opened his scoring with a solo drive during the third inning off Twins right-hander Taj Bradley, knotting the contest at 2-2. The Yankees outfielder extended his damage in the fourth frame, delivering a decisive three-run homer into the right-field plaza for his 33rd blast of the season and new career peak.
His offensive explosion arrives at a crucial moment for a Yankees team managing rotation uncertainty and bullpen fatigue.
Judge maintains batting crown, Bellinger provides cushion
Aaron Judge collected three hits in four at-bats, boosting his league-leading batting average to .329. While Judge failed to homer, his consistent approach and clutch hits maintained pressure on Bradley and Minnesota throughout the evening.
Cody Bellinger, who had also gone deep Tuesday, launched a towering two-run shot during the ninth inning, sealing the outcome. The blast represented another pivotal moment in a productive September for the veteran outfielder, who continues establishing his worth ahead of a potential offseason contract decision.
Gil struggles, relief corps responds
Luis Gil entered having dominated recent outings, surrendering just four earned runs across his previous four starts combined. Minnesota hitters solved the rookie early, however, tagging him for five runs (four earned) on nine hits through 4 2/3 innings.
The bullpen provided stability when needed. Fernando Cruz (3-4) entered a fifth-inning jam and recorded four crucial outs, including a lineout from Royce Lewis with two aboard that ended Minnesota’s rally. Four Yankees relievers combined to blank the Twins across the final 4 1/3 frames.
The performance offered rare encouragement for a unit that entered with a post-All-Star break ERA of 5.49, ranking among baseball’s worst.
Key moments and stat
With the Yankees protecting a 7-5 advantage in the fifth, the Twins positioned two runners on base with Lewis batting. Boone summoned Cruz, and Bellinger delivered the evening’s defensive highlight — a sprinting, diving catch in right-center that denied extra bases while halting Minnesota’s comeback attempt.
The four earned runs Gil allowed equaled his total from his previous 22 1/3 innings spanning four starts. The brief stumble was offset by resilient relief pitching and relentless offensive production.
Yankees roster
| hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| T. Grisham CF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.24 | 0.348 | 0.477 |
| B. Rice C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.248 | 0.332 | 0.481 |
| A. Wells C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.211 | 0.267 | 0.435 |
| A. Judge DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.329 | 0.453 | 0.679 |
| C. Bellinger RF-LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.275 | 0.331 | 0.495 |
| J. Chisholm Jr. 2B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.241 | 0.332 | 0.477 |
| P. Goldschmidt 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.279 | 0.331 | 0.415 |
| J. Dominguez LF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.258 | 0.333 | 0.391 |
| A. Slater RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.22 | 0.276 | 0.383 |
| R. McMahon 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.216 | 0.312 | 0.383 |
| J. Caballero SS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.233 | 0.332 | 0.346 |
| pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PC-ST | ERA |
| L. Gil | 4.2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 85-54 | 3.33 |
| F. Cruz(W, 3-4) | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15-11 | 3.86 |
| D. Williams(H, 14) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16-11 | 5.12 |
| L. Weaver(H, 20) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13-8 | 3.9 |
| C. Doval | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10-8 | 3.71 |
Up next
The New York Yankees travel to Baltimore for a crucial four-game series against the Orioles, with left-hander Max Fried (17-5, 3.03 ERA) scheduled to start Thursday’s opener. The series carries significant AL East implications with Toronto, Baltimore, and New York clustered tightly entering the final stretch.
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