NEW YORK – Swagger arrives when Jazz Chisholm Jr. does, following him from the Yankee Stadium parking garage into the clubhouse and out toward the field. Hardly one to shy away from any spotlight, the infielder admits there have been times this season when it has felt like he’s putting on an act.
With stars like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton missing, Chisholm said he has sensed pressure to carry the Yankees’ lineup. Still, he knows that when his swing feels right, he’s a difference-maker – as in Monday night’s 8-5 win over the Pirates, when he blasted two homers and drove in five runs.
“I’m not the same kind of player as Judge,” Chisholm said. “I feel like I was trying to overdo it; trying to hit a five-run home run with nobody on base. I feel like us coming together and talking about certain stuff, realizing that we do this as a team – I feel like that has helped a lot.”
It was the 10th multihomer game of Chisholm’s career; including Sunday’s win over the Dodgers, Chisholm has homered three times in the past two games, giving him 16 for the season. Both of Chisholm’s homers Monday came off Braxton Ashcraft – a three-run blast in the first inning, then a two-run shot in the third.
The outburst came after, according to Chisholm, teammates Judge and Anthony Volpe offered him a boost.
“[Confidence is] the biggest tool I’ve got,” Chisholm said. “Sometimes they’ve seen me dragging a little bit lately. They just were like, ‘Bro, let’s not forget who you are. You’re the greatest in the world. You are Jazz Chisholm.’ … I always think I have confidence, but I just feel like I didn’t fully believe in myself at a point in time.”
Chisholm’s .228 batting average and .726 OPS are a far cry from the numbers he envisioned this spring, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he is still “in position to have a really outstanding season.”
“It’s important to have that diligence of preparing and doing everything you need to do to be successful, but also not being wound so tight when you get between the lines that you’re stressing yourself out,” Boone said. “It’s a kid’s game. It’s a fun game. You need to every now and then remind yourself of that.”
If pep talks alone don’t do the trick, maybe the club can gain momentum from the late fireworks, with benches and bullpens briefly clearing after Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana was irked by José Caballero’s pitch clock manipulation.
Boone downplayed it as an example of “boys will be boys,” while Caballero quipped: “It’s a rule that’s been out there for four years now. If you’re not used to it, you should practice.”
Chisholm’s first homer came in a four-run first inning, with the first run scoring on a double error – a Paul Goldschmidt grounder that clanged off Nick Gonzales’ glove at third base and kicked into center field, where Bryan Reynolds spiked his throw into the outfield grass, allowing Ben Rice to trot home.
That seemed to put things on the right track, but Ryan Weathers couldn’t hold the lead. Pittsburgh chipped away with three runs in the second inning, then moved in front when hot-hitting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez belted a two-run shot in the third.
Weathers also dealt with pitch-relaying from second base, requiring him to make an in-game adjustment.
“I definitely wanted to get further than I did,” said Weathers, who worked 4 2/3 innings. “They put up some good ABs, combined with poor pitch execution on my part. The pitches stacked up quick.”
New York reclaimed the lead against Ashcraft, who lasted three innings, charged with eight runs (seven earned).
After Chisholm’s shot to the second deck in right field, Caballero ripped a two-run double that capped an eventful first three innings, with 13 total runs scored between the clubs.
Despite being worked heavily in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers, the Yankees’ bullpen continued to provide stellar work.
Entering Monday, they led the Majors with a 2.54 ERA dating to June 2, a number that continued to tick down as four relievers – Angel Chivilli, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz – combined to silence the Bucs with 4 1/3 innings of scoreless two-hit ball.
It was the kind of night that invites Chisholm to look forward – with confidence.
“There’s a lot that can happen in 2 1/2 months, especially on a baseball field,” Chisholm said. “For me, I feel like there’s more than enough time to just flip the whole season around.”