If not for Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s mad dash around the bases in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees‘ season might be over.
If not for Chisholm’s soothing game of “MLB: The Show” on Tuesday night, the star infielder may have still been seething about being benched in Game 1.
Chisholm opened up about how he bounced back from the disappointment of sitting against Boston Red Sox star left-hander Garrett Crochet after helping the Yankees to a 4-3 win over the Red Sox that evened the best-of-3 series at 1.
Game 3 will be Thursday at 8:08 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The winner will meet the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS, with Game 1 on Saturday at Rogers Centre in Toronto — Game 1 will start at 4:08 p.m. ET if the Yankees advance.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Bounced Back By Playing Video Games
Chisholm showed his frustration by turning his back on reporters after they asked him his feelings of being sat for Game 1. Yet, he went home and calmed his angst with a nice, mild-mannered game of “MLB: The Show.
I played ‘MLB: The Show,’ and I mercy-ruled someone,” Chisholm said. “That’s how I get my stress off.”
Chisholm told reporters he played with his own unique team in ‘The Show’ called the New York Aliens, with himself, Jimmy Rollins and Ken Griffey Jr. — the only way he would play in New York. Be on the lookout for that team when challenged, especially after Yankees losses.
“It’s kind of a cheat code,” Chisholm said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Whatever Chisholm did worked, since he shook off the benching by authoring a pair of elite defensive plays — reliever Fernando Cruz said he “saved the game” by keeping the ball in the infield on Masataka Yoshida’s seventh-inning single, which would have given the Red Sox the lead.
“I was just trying to keep it in the infield,” Chisholm said. “Out or safe, I was just trying to make sure the runner didn’t score.”
Jazz Chisholm: ‘There Never A Problem Between Me and Aaron Boone’
Chisholm’s frustration stemmed from being benched, and he took a few veiled shots on Yankees management — seemingly directed at Aaron Boone — when he said he found out about his Game 1 benching by text and said “We gotta do whatever we gotta do to win, right? Thatâs how I look at it.”
Yet, when pressed, Chisholm said there was never any ill will toward the Yankees manager.
“There was never a problem between me and Aaron Boone,” Chisholm said. “He’s been my manager all year, and I stood behind him all year.”
Chisholm admitted he hasn’t always seen eye to eye with the Yankees manager — particularly while he played out of position in the spring before moving back to second base after the team released D.J. LeMahieu. Yet, he still has his manager’s back.
“We always have disagreements,” Chisholm said. “I mean, I played third base this year, and we had a little bit of a disagreement with that. But at the end of the day, I always stand with Booney because he always understands where I come from. He knows I’m a passionate player. He knows I wear my feelings on my sleeve, and he knows I’m there to compete.”
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