Chisholm ducks major controversy, makes up with defining homer for Yankees

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NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. lived through the highs and lows of postseason baseball in one unforgettable night. From committing a defensive blunder that enraged fans to hitting a defining home run, the Yankees second baseman embodied the razor-thin margin between heartbreak and heroism in October.

What began as a nightmare turned into a redemption story Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Chisholm’s go-ahead homer helped lift the Yankees to a 9-6 comeback victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. His clutch swing kept the Yankees’ season alive, trimming the series deficit to 2-1.

But before his moment of glory, Chisholm found himself at the center of an embarrassing controversy that quickly went viral.

Chisholm mental mistake goes viral

In the third inning, Jazz Chisholm’s defensive lapse ignited frustration across the Bronx. With the Yankees trailing 2-1, Toronto’s Daulton Varsho sent a deep fly ball to left-center field. Cody Bellinger dove but couldn’t secure it, and the ball popped out of his glove. Trent Grisham retrieved it and threw to Chisholm at second base.

That’s when the chaos unfolded. Davis Schneider, who had been on second, rounded third and dashed home. Chisholm, with his back to the plate, didn’t notice him. By the time he turned and threw home, Schneider had already crossed safely.

The mental lapse proved costly. Toronto seized the momentum and scored three more runs before the inning ended, extending its lead to 6-1. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon managed just 2 1/3 innings before being pulled.

Cameras catch the yawn that enraged fans

As if the fielding error wasn’t bad enough, Chisholm was caught yawning in the dugout minutes later. The Fox broadcast captured the moment, and social media erupted.

“Jazz Chisholm yawning in the midst of an elimination game is pathetic,” one fan posted. “Mr. Steinbrenner would call down to the dugout and have him removed from the game.”

Another wrote, “I cannot wait until Jazz Chisholm is off this team. The guy is a losing baseball player.”

A third added, “Jazz Chisholm falls asleep on defense. Minutes later he is yawning on camera. This is not Yankee behavior. The fans care more than most players.”

For a player already struggling at the plate, the optics couldn’t have been worse. Chisholm entered Game 3 batting just .188 for the postseason, going 3-for-17 against Boston in the Wild Card Series. After an early flyout Tuesday, his average dipped to .176.

Recent history of controversy

This wasn’t the first time Chisholm drew attention for the wrong reasons during the playoffs. Days earlier, he turned his back on reporters after being benched for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.

Manager Aaron Boone had opted for right-handed hitter Amed Rosario against Boston’s lefty Garrett Crochet. Chisholm didn’t hide his frustration. He faced his locker during interviews and later admitted that he spent that night playing MLB: The Show until 3 a.m.

“I sit there and talk trash,” Chisholm said about his late-night gaming sessions.

That attitude had already raised questions about his focus and maturity. The yawning moment in Game 3 only made those doubts louder.

The at-bat that changed everything

By the fifth inning, Chisholm had a chance to make amends. The Yankees had clawed back to tie the game 6-6 after Aaron Judge’s monumental three-run homer electrified the stadium.

With one out and no one on, Chisholm faced hard-throwing Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland. On a 1-1 count, Varland unleashed a 99.4 mph fastball. He didn’t miss.

He crushed the pitch 409 feet into the right-center-field seats. The ball left his bat at 109.3 mph with a 24-degree launch angle. As the crowd of 47,399 roared, Chisholm flipped his bat and jogged around the bases, smiling ear to ear.

“It felt great helping my team take the lead right there,” Chisholm said. “Crucial game. It felt great.”

The same fans who booed him an inning earlier were now on their feet chanting his name.

The mindset that fueled redemption

Chisholm refused to let his early mistake define the night. His resilience and mental toughness turned what could have been a humiliating game into one of his proudest moments.

“All I was thinking is, ‘We’ve got to win this game,’” Chisholm said. “Baseball is a hard game. So if you’re thinking about being discouraged, you would be discouraged every day. So for us, we just keep on riding the wave and trusting our teammates that someone’s going to pick us up. And that’s what we did today.”

His ability to reset mentally was nothing new. After being benched in the Wild Card opener, Chisholm rebounded the next day, scoring the winning run in Game 2 by sprinting from first to home on a single. That same approach carried him through Tuesday’s chaos.

“We just made sure that nobody tried to do extra, nobody tried to be the hero today,” Chisholm said. “And that’s how we won this game.”

Manager praises versatile playmaker

Boone defended his second baseman, pointing out the unique athleticism Chisholm brings to the Yankees lineup.

“That’s putting a really good swing on a heater there, and that’s what Jazz is capable of,” Boone said. “He changes the game in a lot of different ways.”

Chisholm’s speed and power combination is rare. During the regular season, he became only the third Yankees player ever to record a 30-30 season — 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases — joining Bobby Bonds and Alfonso Soriano.

That aggressiveness occasionally leads to mistakes, but it also makes him a dangerous weapon.

Postseason struggles continue elsewhere

Even with his heroics, Chisholm’s postseason numbers remain underwhelming. He finished Game 3 going 1-for-3, raising his October average only slightly.

Through six playoff games, he had collected four hits in 19 at-bats. The home run was his first extra-base hit of the postseason. Before that, he had struck out four times in five games.

Still, his clutch performance against Toronto reminded everyone why the Yankees value his explosive potential.

Believing in comebacks

Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, Chisholm voiced confidence the Yankees could complete the comeback.

“It happened to us before, so why couldn’t it happen to them?” he said, referencing last year’s World Series collapse when New York blew a five-run lead.

He even credited two streakers who interrupted the fourth inning for shifting the game’s energy. “It might have been the streakers that changed the momentum,” the infielder said with a grin.

The Yankees will face another elimination game Wednesday night in the Bronx. A win would send the series back to Toronto for a decisive Game 5. A loss would end their season.

For now, Chisholm plans to keep his focus and energy steady. His ability to bounce back from mistakes could again be the difference.

For one night, Jazz Chisholm Jr. turned jeers into cheers. His go-ahead home run rewrote his story and reignited the Yankees’ season, proving how quickly October can turn villains into heroes.

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