Chisholm-Garcia feud reignites in Kansas City as Yankees slug Royals 10-2.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The tension between Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia hit a boiling point Tuesday night, overshadowing New York’s commanding 10-2 victory over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium.
Chisholm, already a lightning rod for Royals fans, left the game in the seventh inning with neck tightness and a cut on his right thumb. But before his exit, the outspoken Yankee had words — and a warning — for Garcia following a hard tag during a sixth-inning steal of third base.
“I’m going to tell you one more time — if he tags me like that again, I’m going to smack the [expletive] out of him,” Chisholm was caught saying on the broadcast to Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas.
That flare-up came after Chisholm dove headfirst into third on a steal attempt. The throw from Royals catcher Freddy Fermin came in high, and Garcia, attempting to catch and tag in one motion, brought his glove — and knee — down on the Yankees star’s head, knocking off his helmet in the process.
“He didn’t even have the ball,” Chisholm said postgame. “I didn’t like that. Just frustrated, that’s it.”
Garcia acknowledged he missed the ball and claimed he was just trying to make a play.
“I’m waiting for it,” Garcia said with a smirk when told about Chisholm’s warning. “It’s just talk.”
An ongoing rivalry
This isn’t the first time sparks have flown between Chisholm and Garcia. Their feud dates back to the 2024 American League Division Series, when the Yankees star called the Royals “lucky” after Kansas City stole Game 2 in the Bronx. In Game 4 of that series, Garcia slid hard into Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, prompting a retaliatory high tag and a benches-clearing moment. Chisholm, who rushed in to confront Garcia, later called him a “sore loser.”
“He tried to injure Volpe because he was frustrated,” Chisholm said back then. “We don’t do that on this side.”
The bad blood carried into 2025. With the Yankees back in Kansas City for the first time since that playoff series, boos rained down on Chisholm throughout the night from a sold-out crowd of 30,017. He leaned into the villain role.
“I still like it,” Chisholm said. “I told Fermin at the plate — I kind of like it. I’d rather walk up to boos than walk up to silence. It’s like music.”
Chisholm finished 1-for-4 with a double before exiting the game defensively in the bottom of the seventh. Though he was shaken up on the play at third, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said postgame he expects the infieldfer to be available for Wednesday’s matchup.
“He jammed the thumb a bit and had some neck tightness, but it’s not serious,” Boone said. “We’ll check in tomorrow.”
A game within the game
Though the dust-up dominated postgame conversation, the game itself was another statement by New York’s surging offense and ace left-hander Max Fried.
Fried tossed seven innings of two-run ball, striking out four and walking none to improve to 9-1 on the season. His 1.84 ERA remains among the best in the majors. The Yankees improved to 40-25, extending their AL East lead to four games over the Blue Jays.
Austin Wells was the breakout performer at the plate, driving in five runs on a three-run homer and a two-run double. Aaron Judge added a titanic 469-foot blast — his 24th homer of the year — and an RBI single in the sixth.
But in the middle of it all, Chisholm stole the attention — again — from a Royals team that hasn’t forgotten the postseason jabs.
Garcia, asked if things might escalate in the series’ next two games, downplayed the feud.
“I’m just here to play baseball and win,” he said. “I’m not worried about anything else.”
Yet, inside the Royals clubhouse, multiple players were reportedly reviewing video of Chisholm’s comments during postgame downtime.
Bumps and bruises for Chisholm
Tuesday marked Chisholm’s seventh game back from the injured list. He’d missed over a month with a right oblique strain. While his overall numbers on the season are modest — a .151 average in April — he had surged in June, hitting .381 ahead of the Kansas City series.
The injury scare adds another layer to an already fragile Yankees infield. New York is still managing health issues with infielders DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza, the latter of whom replaced Chisholm at third late in the game.
Despite his aggressive play and outspoken nature, Chisholm has quickly become a fan favorite in the Bronx for his energy and edge — especially when it comes to rivals.
“He plays with fire,” Boone said earlier this season. “That’s who Jazz is, and we love him for it.”
Looking ahead
With two games left in the series, all eyes are on whether tensions escalate. The Yankees have not commented publicly about any potential league review of Chisholm’s televised outburst, though MLB has previously disciplined players for similar language if directed toward another player.
Chisholm, for his part, seems ready for whatever comes next — both in the box and on the basepaths.
“Go ahead and boo me,” he said. “You’re just giving me energy.”
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
