MIAMI — Jazz Chisholm Jr. stood by his baserunning blunder Saturday night. The Yankees infielder showed no remorse after his costly mistake helped doom New York to a 2-0 loss against Miami at loanDepot park.
Chisholm was doubled off first base in the second inning when he lingered too far from the bag on Paul Goldschmidt’s routine popup. The mental error killed a potential rally and sparked criticism from Yankees legends.
But Chisholm remained defiant. He said he would make the same play again.
‘I was playing the drop’
Talkin’ Yanks@X
Jazz Chisholm explained his controversial decision after the game. The former Marlins star insisted he was reading the defense correctly.
“I saw something that I thought they were gonna do,” Chisholm said. “(Xavier Edwards) deked it like he was gonna do it, he didn’t do it, but, you know, still trying to be aggressive because I’ve played here before, I know how the field plays.”
Jazz Chisholm gets caught sleeping on a pop up to second and the Marlins turn the double play pic.twitter.com/5SaB49tSof
Chisholm believed Edwards would intentionally drop the popup to turn a double play. He positioned himself to advance to second base if the ball hit the ground.
“Because if he would’ve dropped it I was already – the reason I got out is because I took the step [towards second base] first and then I went back. I was playing the drop.”
The strategy backfired. Edwards caught the ball and immediately threw to first base for an easy double play.
No regrets from Chisholm
Chisholm showed zero regret about his aggressive approach. He said he wouldn’t do anything differently next time.
“Just trying to be aggressive,” Chisholm said. “I saw something that I thought they were going to do. [Edwards] deked like he was going to do it. He didn’t do it.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. says “Sometimes you get aggressive and you make an out” and he wouldn’t do anything differently knowing what he knows now pic.twitter.com/co1KvrDa1y
The 26-year-old insisted his familiarity with Miami’s ballpark justified the risk. Chisholm spent four seasons with the Marlins before joining the Yankees.
“I told him exactly what I just told you: I played here before, he deked it pretty well, like he was going to drop it,” Chisholm said. “I saw him watching Goldy the whole time. I was like, ‘Maybe he might.’ I would want to get me off first base, too.”
Edwards confirms the mind games
Edwards revealed Chisholm correctly identified his initial plan. The Marlins second baseman admitted he considered dropping the popup before deciding against it.
“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” Edwards said. “The really fast guys, you want to get them off the bases. I think Jazz could tell I was thinking about dropping it, because he’s probably thinking the same way I am. He’s a lot faster than Goldschmidt is.”
Edwards’ quick decision-making earned praise from manager Clayton McCullough, who called it “a high baseball IQ play.”
Chisholm acknowledges team struggles
The mistake highlighted ongoing problems for the Yankees. Chisholm admitted the team has been making too many fundamental errors.
“We’ve been making mistakes for the last week and a half. We know that’s not us,” Chisholm said. “We know we’re a better baseball team. I feel like we’re pressing a little bit — even low-key me, too — because I’m trying to go out there and make extra plays that don’t really need to be made.”
“Where is the accountability?” Rodriguez said. “If any of us made a mistake (like Jazz) we would be sitting our butt right on the bench.”
Jeter was equally critical of the team’s fundamental mistakes.
“They make way too many mistakes… You have to clean it up… There’s no excuse. You have to play better. If you don’t play better, you’re not going to go very far,” Jeter said.
Boone defends but shows frustration
Manager Aaron Boone was visibly angry after the play. Chisholm came back into the dugout as the inning turned over and Boone met him at the tunnel before gesturing down. Chisholm sauntered down behind his skipper, presumably to get yelled at away from cameras.
Aaron Boone says Jazz Chisholm was trying to "make a play" and run to second expecting Xavier Edwards to let the ball drop and try and swap the runners
Boone said he didn't bench Jazz because it wasn't a case of a guy dogging it and said "I'm not just gonna take guys out for… pic.twitter.com/s90zyBKvnZ
Despite his frustration, Boone defended Chisholm’s effort level. “No. It’s a guy trying to make a play,” Boone said. “I get it looks bad, and it’s a bad play, but it’s not a case of a guy that’s dogging it. He’s just trying to make a play. Just because it’s going bad right now and the world’s on fire, I’m not going to just take guys out for giving a crap.”
Former prospect rubs salt on wound
Agustin Ramirez provided all the offense Miami needed with solo home runs in the first and fourth innings off Yankees rookie starter Cam Schlittler. The 421-foot blast in the first inning marked his 16th homer of the season.
“That’s what I want,” Ramirez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I want to be a star, and I want to have a long career in MLB.”
The irony was not lost on Yankees fans, as Ramirez was the centerpiece prospect traded to Miami in last year’s deal that brought Chisholm to New York. The rookie catcher is now hitting .471 with 16 home runs, showcasing the potential the Yankees hoped would not return to haunt them.
The baserunning blunder cost the Yankees a crucial scoring opportunity. Chisholm’s mistake came with one out and effectively ended the inning.
But Chisholm showed no signs of changing his aggressive style. His defiant postgame comments suggest he will continue taking calculated risks on the basepaths.
The loss dropped New York to 60-51 and third place in the AL East. Time is running short for the Yankees to fix their fundamental problems before the playoffs.
