ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached October with his place in the Yankees lineup suddenly less certain than his status suggested it should be.
Four days later, New York is preparing for the ALDS after an 18-2 demolition of Boston, and the second-base debate that threatened to become a postseason distraction has changed shape almost as quickly as the series did.
The second baseman had just returned from a sprained right thumb when the Yankees opened the Wild Card Series. Anthony Volpe had used Chisholm’s injured-list stint to force his way back into the picture, while Aaron Boone kept leaning on platoon matchups. Chisholm still finished the regular season with 19 home runs, 55 RBIs and a team-high 41 stolen bases, and he carried a .939 OPS over his final 18 games. None of that guaranteed him every October start.
Before Game 1, Chisholm made his preference unmistakable. He had been left out of a playoff opener before and had no interest in repeating the experience.
“You’ve seen how I felt about not being in games in the playoffs,” Chisholm said.
Boone nevertheless started Volpe at second against Boston left-hander Payton Tolle. Chisholm watched as Cam Schlittler struck out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the Yankees won 9-0 at Yankee Stadium. Volpe went 1-for-3 and executed a sacrifice bunt. Schlittler earned the win, Tolle took the loss and Boone never needed to summon the infielder from the bench.
The matchup flipped the next night against right-hander Sonny Gray. Chisholm returned to second base and the Yankees won 9-2, breaking the game open with six runs in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, scored twice, stole two bases and made an over-the-shoulder catch on Adley Rutschman in shallow center. Max Fried earned the win, Gray took the loss and no save was needed.
Chisholm changes his tone after Yankees sweep
Only after the Yankees had secured the series did the sharpest change emerge. Chisholm, unusually blunt before the opener about wanting to be on the field, sounded far less interested in litigating Boone’s lineup decisions once New York had won twice.
The contrast mattered because the Yankees had just shown they could sit an established starter for matchup reasons without losing either the game or the player.
“I didn’t care if I played or not today, as long as we win,” Chisholm said. “[Aaron] Boone’s done a great job. I always think my manager has done a great job, especially when we’re winning.”
That was not an admission that Chisholm suddenly prefers a bench role. It was a quick shift in emphasis. Before the series, his focus was the competitor’s demand to play. After it, the result became the argument.
Boone’s handling also gave Chisholm little reason to keep pressing the issue. The manager sat him against a left-hander, kept him ready, then restored him against a right-hander. The Yankees’ second baseman responded with one of his most complete games of the season at the moment the Yankees clinched.
Boone’s second-base split produced a hidden payoff
The two-game decision looks even cleaner when the second-base production is isolated.
A review of the Wild Card box scores shows Volpe and Chisholm combined to go 3-for-6, a .500 batting average, with one walk, one sacrifice bunt, two stolen bases and two runs while starting one game apiece at second. The Yankees won both games by seven or more runs.
That matters to the Chisholm story because the postseason debate never produced a loser. Volpe did his job in Game 1. The Yankees infielder did more damage in Game 2. Boone got the matchup flexibility he wanted without sacrificing production.
The Yankees also out-hit Boston 26-7 in the series. Their lineup did not need one fixed second baseman to function, which made Chisholm’s post-series change in tone easier to understand.
Rays setup could erase the same Yankees debate
Tampa Bay may make the issue less combustible anyway.
The Rays are projected to lean on right-handed starters, beginning with Drew Rasmussen in Game 1 on Saturday at Tropicana Field. That alignment favors the left-handed-hitting Chisholm if Boone continues using the same platoon logic. MLB had not posted the Yankees’ Game 1 lineup as of Saturday morning.
The Yankees star immediately noticed the handedness question while discussing the next round.
“Are they pitching all righties?” Chisholm asked.
His importance also increased Saturday when the Yankees left Aaron Judge off the ALDS roster because of the captain’s right calf strain. New York scored 18 runs without Judge against Boston, but removing its best hitter for another full round puts more pressure on players such as Chisholm to create offense in different ways.
Chisholm’s swagger survives the U-turn
The change in Chisholm’s tone has limits. He softened his position about playing time, not his confidence.
After the Wild Card sweep, he went from praising Boone to guaranteeing the Yankees would eliminate the AL East champion Rays.
“I guarantee it! That’s my thought. I never think I’m going to lose. That’s just me,” Chisholm said.
That leaves the Yankees with a different version of the Jazz Chisholm story than they had entering the postseason. The public friction over whether he should play every game has cooled after two decisive wins, while his speed, defense and left-handed bat remain central with Judge unavailable.
The next test begins Saturday night. Gerrit Cole faces Rasmussen in Game 1 at Tropicana Field, and Chisholm enters the ALDS no longer arguing publicly over Boone’s lineup card, even as he makes an even louder promise about where the Yankees are headed.
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