Trent Grisham's heroic night vs Angels reminded Yankees fans of epic playoff throwback

Remember the New York Yankees offense that led the league in homers last season? Despite running it back with basically the same group, that's felt like a distant memory for most of 2026, as more than half the lineup has struggled to get on track. Finally, in Monday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, Trent Grisham led the charge that had fans remember what last year felt like, and then some.

The Yankees battered the Angels' pitching for five long balls. There were two from Aaron Judge and one from Jose Caballero, but it was the pair of dingers that Grisham hit that evoked fond memories of the past in New York's 11-10 walk-off victory.

With lefty Yusei Kikuchi on the mound, Aaron Boone went with a right-handed-heavy lineup, but when the Bombers chased the veteran southpaw in the bottom of the fourth and righty Shaun Anderson replaced him, the left-handed parade of pinch hitters began. With the score tied at four, Grisham came off the bench in a second-and-third situation with one out to pinch hit for the inept Randal Grichuk and launched a three-run homer into the right field stands.

The Yankees would enter the bottom of the ninth trailing 10-8, when Grisham would again step to the plate, this time with a man on first and no outs, and blast the game-tying homer. With that, he became the first Yankee since 2012 to hit both a game-tying and go-ahead homer in the fifth inning or later. The last player to do it was 2012 cult hero Raul Ibañez in a game we'll never forget.

Ibañez accomplished the feat during Game 3 of the ALDS, and did so in much more dramatic fashion. The then-40-year-old slugger pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez with the Yankees trailing 2-1, and knotted the game with a solo shot. He came back up in the bottom of the 12th, and won the game with a walk-off blast that landed in the upper deck. While the Yankees fell short during the 2012 postseason, this game was the culmination of Ibañez's ridiculous, age-defying clutch tear (and he had another one up his sleeve in an ill-fated Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit).

Trent Grisham's Raul Ibañez-invoking night could heat up the frigid Yankees' offense

Grisham's big night shouldn't be a surprise to those who have been following along with the story that his underlying metrics have told so far this season. While on the surface, he had looked like a $22 million bust, what was going on under the hood foreshadowed a return to his 2025 form.

The Yankees will now look for him to ride this wave, just as Ibañez did during his 2012 postseason run. What's more, they'll hope this slugfest ignites the mostly dormant lineup. At least, as far as some of the top guys are concerned.

So far, the offense has been Ben Rice serving as the engine, a contact-focused Giancarlo Stanton, and not much else. Seeing Judge get going is a big deal, and if he and Grisham can ignite, the unit will start to look much more formidable.

There are still too many no-shows, though. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has annoyingly blamed the cold weather for his slump, though focus is more likely the issue, as he's been a dud in the field as well. Austin Wells left his magic at the World Baseball Classic. Jose Caballero also homered against the Angels, but he hasn't translated his offseason work to tangible production for the most part. Ryan McMahon is still one of the worst hitters in baseball.

The Yankees will need more to consistently win ball games, but getting two big bats heated up is a definite step in the right direction. If that holds and a couple more join them, pretty soon we could be looking at a top offense once more.

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