Trent Grisham found himself in a tense at-bat late in a tie game. Bottom of the eighth, two outs, 4-4 on the scoreboard. After thinking he got quick pitched early in the count, Grisham appeared frustrated and tried to reset. The score bug mistakenly showed two strikes, but it was clearly a 1-1 count. With the pitch clock and new timing rules in effect, Grisham exchanged brief glances with the pitcher, trying to regain rhythm amid the confusion.
On the next pitch, he stepped out and back in again, lining up for what turned out to be ball three. He looked locked in now, bat winding repeatedly as he settled. Still fired up over feeling disrespected, possibly seeing the handshake rule of batter-pitcher eye contact ignored, he responded with authority. On a 3-1 count, Grisham launched the next pitch into the second deck for a go-ahead home run. A tie game turned into a Yankees lead, and Grisham let the energy fly on the way around the bases. It was a big swing at a pivotal moment, and he knew it.