The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a narrow 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees on July 17, 2026, in a game highlighted by a pivotal eighth-inning out at home plate. The Yankees' Trent Grisham was thrown out attempting to score, a play that ultimately sealed the win for the Dodgers and continued a narrative of close contests between the two storied franchises.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Dodgers leading 2-1 and one out, Yankees batter Ben Rice hit a double off the right-center field wall. Grisham, who was on first base, did not accelerate fully until it was clear the ball would land. He advanced to third base and was aggressively sent home by third base coach Luis Rojas.
Grisham, who had strained his hamstring in June and missed time in July, acknowledged being conscious of the injury. He stated that he picked up the signal from Rojas and rounded third, but was ultimately beaten to the plate. The defensive effort by the Dodgers was key to the play. Andy Pages, the outfielder, made a strong throw from shallow center field, which Mookie Betts, repositioning from shortstop, caught on the run and quickly relayed home.
Catcher Dalton Rushing received Betts' throw near the first-base line and tagged Grisham as he attempted to slide across home plate. Grisham described the play as "bang-bang," adding that the Dodgers "were just a little bit better."
Manager Aaron Boone expressed no issue with the decision to send Grisham. "I thought Luis actually did a good job in reading the throw that it was going over the second baseman’s head, and Mookie was kind of on the run to have to go make the play," Boone said. "And made a pretty good throw on the run. So, don’t have an issue with taking the shot there."
Had Grisham been held at third, the Yankees would have had runners on second and third with one out, with Paul Goldschmidt due to bat against a left-handed pitcher. The Dodgers, however, have demonstrated effectiveness in crucial moments, contributing to the Yankees' inability to capitalize in this tightly contested series opener.