Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice, Trent Grisham belted his third grand slam in seven weeks, and Max Fried delivered seven strong innings as the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros 7-1 in the opener of a three-game series between postseason contenders.
The Yankees (77-61) notched their eighth win in nine games but failed to gain ground in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays maintained first place, while the Boston Red Sox — tied with New York entering Tuesday — also won, leaving the Yankees and Red Sox 2 ½ games behind Toronto.
Chisholm and Grisham Provide the Power
Chisholm opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-run shot off Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (12-8), marking his 27th homer of the season and only the second Valdez has surrendered to a left-handed hitter this year.
In the fifth, Valdez loaded the bases before recording a key strikeout against Giancarlo Stanton. But Grisham followed with a 1-0 sinker driven to left field for a grand slam, his 29th homer of the season and his third grand slam since mid-July. The blast gave the Yankees a commanding 6-0 lead and marked the club’s eighth grand slam of 2025.
Valdez lasted five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out eight. He has now lost four of his last six decisions.
Fried Shuts Down Houston
Yankees starter Max Fried (15-5) was dominant, carrying a no-hit bid into the fifth inning. He worked out of early traffic in the third with three straight groundouts and struck out the side in the fifth after yielding a leadoff single.
Fried finished with seven innings of one-run ball, scattering four hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Chisholm later added his 28th homer in the eighth inning off Astros reliever Steven Okert to cap the scoring.
The Astros (76-63) struggled to mount offense throughout, falling further behind in the tight American League Wild Card race.
In Science: World’s First Gene-Edited Polo Horses Born
In a separate groundbreaking development, scientists have unveiled the birth of the world’s first genetically edited horses — 10-month-old cloned foals derived from a polo champion named Polo Pureza (“Polo Purity”).
The clones represent a major milestone in animal genetics, offering potential breakthroughs in equine breeding and sports performance. Researchers say the foals were created using advanced cloning and genetic editing techniques, raising both excitement in the polo community and ethical debates in the scientific world.
