Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn’t change his approach when the stage got bigger, and that was the whole point.
With the Yankees up 8-2 in the seventh inning of Game 2 on Wednesday, Chisholm took second and third base just like he had in the regular-season finale against the Red Sox back in August. Same player, same decision, different setting. In October, though, every extra run matters even more.
That earlier steal spree had drawn heat from Red Sox radio announcer Will Flemming, who called Chisholm “bush league” and even urged the lefty reliever on the mound to both drill Austin Wells and go punch Chisholm. So when Chisholm did it again in the postseason, the moment landed with a little extra edge.
The whole thing also fit the message Aaron Boone had sent him before the game. Boone texted Chisholm ahead of Game 1, making sure he knew what kind of night it could be.
"Hey, you might be the most important person in the building tonight. We need you to be ready to go for the biggest spot, potentially,"
Chisholm wasn’t needed in the Yankees’ 9-0 win in that opener, but the message was clear: stay ready, stay engaged, and be yourself when the moment comes. On Wednesday, that’s exactly what he did.
He had already shown in August that he wasn’t going to stop running just because the scoreboard got lopsided. He showed it again in the postseason, and this time the same move served as a direct answer to the noise that followed him the last time around.
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