by The Yankees spent seven innings doing almost nothing offensively. Then Ryan McMahon opened the door, Trent Grisham kicked it down, and Paul Goldschmidt made sure the Nationals could not close it again.
The Yankees erased a two-run deficit with three home runs in the eighth inning, beating the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.
For most of the game, this looked like another one of those frustrating Yankees losses where the starting pitcher settles down, keeps the team alive, and the lineup refuses to give him anything.
Then the entire game changed within a few minutes.
Ryan McMahon homered. Ben Rice walked. Trent Grisham launched a two-run shot into the second deck. Paul Goldschmidt followed with another homer.
A 2-0 deficit became a 4-2 Yankees lead before Washington could figure out what hit them.
Ryan gave that one a ride 💪 pic.twitter.com/KYJvk1YXub
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 11, 2026
Ryan McMahon Finally Got the Yankees Moving
The Yankees had opportunities before the eighth inning.
They put two runners on in the first. They had Ben Rice and Grisham reach safely to begin the sixth. They collected hits, drew walks and repeatedly put themselves in position to score.
Nothing happened.
Goldschmidt grounded into a double play in the sixth, Cody Bellinger flew out, and another possible rally disappeared.
McMahon finally ended the silence by turning on a two-strike pitch from Orlando Ribalta and sending it over the right-center-field wall.
It was not just another solo home run. The Yankees needed somebody to break the tension surrounding an offense that had been held scoreless for seven innings.
“Just trying to put a good one on, get something started, get on base,” McMahon said afterward. “I got to it and luckily kind of started us a little bit.”
That is exactly what happened.
Rice followed with a walk, forcing Washington to bring in Clayton Beeter. Grisham greeted him by crushing a two-run homer to right field, giving the Yankees their first lead of the afternoon.
Goldschmidt then went deep on the very next pitch.
Three home runs. Four runs. One inning.
The Nationals entered the game leading Major League Baseball with 27 blown saves. The Yankees made sure that number became 28.
It’s Grishmas in July 🎅 pic.twitter.com/DC3iXNGKm9
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 11, 2026
Trent Grisham Delivers Another Big Swing
Grisham does not make a lot of noise. He does not have to.
When the Yankees have needed a big swing over the last few seasons, Grisham has quietly delivered more than people give him credit for.
His eighth-inning homer was his 10th of the season and gave him 40 RBI. More importantly, it turned a possible late comeback into a Yankees lead.
Aaron Boone credited Grisham’s experience and ability to remain calm in high-pressure situations.
“He’s stepped up a lot for us the last few years,” Boone said.
All Gold everything. pic.twitter.com/CkWBvpKI5A
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 11, 2026
Goldschmidt’s homer provided the insurance run and ended his personal home-run drought. It was his 15th of the season and his first since June 24.
The Yankees finished with nine hits, but almost all the damage came during that four-batter explosion in the eighth.
Cam Schlittler Refused To Let the Game Get Away
Cam Schlittler could not have started the afternoon much worse.
James Wood homered on Schlittler’s first pitch of the game. Two batters later, Curtis Mead also went deep.
Three Washington hitters. Two home runs. A quick 2-0 deficit.
A young pitcher could have allowed that inning to snowball. Schlittler did the opposite.
He settled down and gave the Yankees 6 2/3 innings, allowing only four hits and those two early runs. He walked four and struck out six while throwing 99 pitches.
Washington did not score again.
“Not the start he wanted,” McMahon said. “But to go six and two-thirds after that and keep them at two runs really kept us in the game. It’s what Nasty does, and he’s an absolute competitor out there.”
Schlittler’s ERA rose from 2.01 to 2.05, which still leads the American League.
That tells you what kind of season he has been having. Even on an afternoon when his command was not perfect and Washington ambushed him early, he found a way to keep the game under control.
“You’re not always going to be dominant and on top of it every single time out,” Boone said. “You’ve got to find a way, and he’s shown us that at every turn.”
The Bullpen Finished the Job
Brent Headrick replaced Schlittler with two outs in the seventh and immediately found himself in trouble.
Washington loaded the bases after two infield singles and a walk. Headrick battled back to strike out CJ Abrams, preserving the two-run deficit and giving the Yankees a chance to rally.
Fernando Cruz needed only seven pitches to handle the eighth inning.
David Bednar then returned after throwing two innings Friday night and closed the game with an efficient 11-pitch ninth.
Bednar allowed a two-out single to Wood but retired Luis García on a ground ball to Anthony Volpe to finish it.
It was Bednar’s 18th save in 20 opportunities and his 16th consecutive scoreless appearance.
“He’s going right at guys,” McMahon said. “He’s getting strike one, strike two pretty quick. From there, he’s got his choice. He’s been dominant.”
Three Straight Wins After a Miserable Stretch
The Yankees have now won three consecutive games for the first time since their four-game winning streak from June 13 through June 17.
That may not sound like a major accomplishment until you remember they had lost 11 of their previous 13 games.
They looked lifeless. The offense disappeared. The defense became unreliable. Every mistake felt bigger because there was rarely enough production to overcome it.
Now they have won three straight, including two late comeback victories against Washington.
The Nationals carried a lead into the ninth inning Friday and lost. They carried a lead into the eighth Saturday and lost again.
Boone called them “feel-good wins” because different players have contributed throughout the road trip.
He is right about that part.
McMahon started Saturday’s rally. Rice kept it moving. Grisham supplied the biggest swing. Goldschmidt added insurance. Schlittler survived a brutal beginning. Headrick escaped a bases-loaded situation. Cruz and Bednar shut the door.
The Yankees are now 53-42, and Boone has reached 750 career wins as their manager.
The next goal is simple: finish the job.
Will Warren will start Sunday as the Yankees attempt to complete a three-game sweep in Washington.
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