Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn’t in much of a talking mood after Tuesday’s 3-1 wild-card loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Despite coming off a 30-30 campaign and his second all-star season, Chisholm — a lefty batter — found himself on the bench to start Game 1, with the New York Yankees opting for right-handed Amed Rosario in a tough matchup against southpaw Garrett Crochet.
It’s a decision that clearly didn’t sit well with Chisholm, as when he was approached by reporters post-game, the 27-year-old stayed with his back turned and provided short answers to every question while rifling through his locker.
“I mean, I guess. Yeah,” he said when asked if it was a surprise not to be in the starting nine.
“You gotta do whatever we got to do to win, right?” Chisholm replied to a question about how he took the news.
Rosario ended the game 0-for-3 against Crochet and was lifted for Chisholm defensively in the top of the eighth inning.
Chisholm ultimately came to the plate against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth with the bases loaded, but floated a flyball to right field that was too shallow to score a run.
“It’s always tough watching when your team is down,” he said.
Like many left-handed hitters, Chisholm was much more effective when he had the platoon advantage on his side in 2025. He posted a .843 OPS against righties, a number that falls to .733 against southpaws.
“Obviously as tough as Crochet is, you know, he has been especially tough on lefties. There’s no great matchup,” Boone explained about his line pre-game. “Amed has good history with him. Hit him well, faced him a lot this year. Felt like I wanted that extra right-handed bat in there.”
It’s true that Rosario had handled Crochet well entering Tuesday’s wild-card opener. In 10 career plate appearances against the Red Sox ace, he had six hits, one home run and just one strikeout. Chisholm, meanwhile, was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and one walk in his career against Crochet.
However Chisholm and the Yankees feel about Game 1, they’ll have to turn the page for Wednesday’s pivotal Game 2 when they’ll face elimination. With the Red Sox scheduled to throw right-hander Brayan Bello, Chisholm will likely be back in his usual spot at second base.
