At least one New York Yankees player is feeling supremely confident following two wins over the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees gained another game on the Red Sox in the playoff picture with Saturday’s 5-3 victory at Fenway Park. Jazz Chisholm Jr. continued to swing a scorching bat, notching his third straight multi-hit game by going 3-for-5 with his 29th home run of the season.
Chisholm didn’t hold back when asked about the statement New York has made this series, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
“That we’re the best team in the league,” Chisholm said. “I feel like any team that thinks they’re better than us, they should know when you step on the field that we’re coming with relentlessness. We’re coming to step on necks. We’re not here to play around. We’re going to do the job and get the job done.”
Chisolm isn’t right purely in terms of wins and losses, as the Yankees have the American League’s third-best record and MLB’s sixth-best mark. (The Los Angeles Dodgers can tie them with a win on Saturday night.) The Bronx Bombers still trail the Toronto Blue Jays by three games in the AL East.
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However, a wide-open MLB hierarchy gives several teams a legitimate claim to being the team to beat entering the postseason. The Yankees boast the AL’s highest run differential (+131) ahead of the runner-up Red Sox (+102).
Chisholm’s proclamation may create some bulletin-board material for Boston and the rest of the league this fall. The Red Sox could remind the 27-year-old that they won eight of 10 games against the Yankees before this series.
Garrett Crochet will attempt to humble the Yankees and avoid a sweep when starting ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” matchup at 7 p.m. ET.
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