New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone raised eyebrows by benching Jazz Chisholm Jr. in Game 1. He’s not taking the same tactic in Thursday’s must-win Game 3 against the Boston Red Sox.
Chisholm sat out Tuesday’s loss against Garrett Crochet in favor of Amed Rosario, a superior hitter against left-handed pitching. Returning to the lineup on Wednesday, the second baseman made some key defensive plays and scored the go-ahead run from first base in New York’s 4-3 win over Boston.
Connelly Early will start Game 3 for the Red Sox, but Boone confirmed after Wednesday’s game that he’ll start Chisholm against the rookie southpaw. However, the Yankees skipper still isn’t sure if he’ll play the left-handed Ben Rice, who hit a home run off Brayan Bello on Wednesday after sitting out Game 1.
“Jazz will be playing,” Boone said, via the YES Network. “I haven’t decided on my catcher, first base, all that.”
Chisholm kept his back to reporters when speaking after Game 1, but Boone insisted there’s no animosity between him and the All-Star.
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“Jazz and I are good,” Boone said. “No concerns that he was going to go out there and get it done … He loves to play. He feels a responsibility to us, his teammates. And he and I have always been good. Despite what you may think happened yesterday. He’s a gamer, and he likes the stage.”
Chisholm also squashed the notion of any bad blood between him and Boone.
“There was never a problem between me and Aaron Boone,” Chisholm said. “He’s been my manager all year, and I’ve stood behind him all year. We always have disagreements. I mean, I played third base this year, and we had a little bit of a disagreement in that.
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“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.”
Chisholm recorded a middling .733 OPS against lefties this season, but the 27-year-old showed how much speed, defense and energy he brings to the table. Early also almost certainly won’t stay in the game as long as Crochet.
Thursday’s series-ending Game 3 starts at 8:08 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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