Jazz Chisholm Jr. made it clear he wasn’t happy about sitting out the New York Yankees postseason opener. On Wednesday night, he showed why.
Inserted back into the lineup, Chisholm provided the defensive gems and blazing speed that helped the Yankees stave off elimination, racing home with the decisive run on Austin Wells’ clutch hit as New York edged the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.
The best-of-three series is now tied at one game apiece, setting up a winner-take-all finale on Thursday night in the Bronx.
“Jazz changed the game,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s what he does. He gives us energy, he makes plays, and he can turn something small into something big.”
Chisholm’s fingerprints were everywhere. With the score tied in the seventh, he was off and running on a full-count pitch to Wells, who slashed a Garrett Whitlock changeup just inside the right-field line. Helmet flying near third base, Chisholm tore home and beat Carlos Narváez’s tag with a headfirst slide, clocked at 9.16 seconds from first to the plate.
“That’s just me having fun,” Chisholm said with a grin. “I wasn’t going to let us go home tonight.”
The Yankees’ center fielder also dazzled in the field, pairing with Anthony Volpe to start a slick third-inning double play and later diving to smother a Masataka Yoshida liner in the seventh that saved at least one, maybe two runs.
Chisholm wasn’t the only Yankee to seize a moment. Rookie Ben Rice, making his first postseason start after sitting out Game 1, drilled a two-run homer in the first inning that had the Stadium rocking and chased Boston starter Brayan Bello early.
Boston quickly clawed back, with Trevor Story lacing a two-run single in the third. New York regained the lead in the fifth when Trent Grisham walked, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on Aaron Judge’s bloop RBI single that fell just beyond Jarren Duran’s diving attempt in left.
Story answered again, launching a Rodón fastball into the left-center seats in the sixth to knot things at 3. But Rodón regrouped. After Boone considered lifting him following a four-pitch walk, the left-hander steadied himself to record a pop-out and an inning-ending double play.
The real tightrope came in the seventh, when Rodón allowed a walk, a wild pitch, and hit a batter. Reliever Fernando Cruz entered and delivered, inducing Story to fly out harmlessly to right. Cruz let out a roar as he strode off the mound, his intensity firing up the dugout.
“I could see every vein popping out of his head,” Rice said. “That’s the kind of emotion we feed on.”
From there, Devin Williams and David Bednar shut the door in the eighth and ninth, closing out a much-needed win for a Yankees team seeking to reverse its October fortunes against its oldest rival.
Since Aaron Boone’s walk-off homer in the 2003 ALCS, Boston has won each of the three postseason meetings between the clubs (2004 ALCS, 2018 ALDS, 2021 Wild Card Game). The Yankees, who won 94 games in the regular season, believe this year’s squad can finally flip the script.
“We’re not done,” Chisholm said. “Now it’s one game for everything. That’s what you live for.”
Game 3 is set for Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, with both teams’ seasons hanging in the balance.
