The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr knew he came to the New York Yankees for one purpose and that is to win the Major League Baseball title.

Chisholm Jr, acquired from the Miami Marlins in a three-man trade on July 27, feels he’s in a good position to achieve that goal after the Yankees went through their three-game series against the Seattle Mariners this week at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

After going 0-or-9 in the first two games of the series, Chisholm Jr broke out of the scoring drought on Thursday by banging his 23rd home run on a two-out 1-1 pitch on a fly ball to right centre field for a two-run shot to plate Derek Jeter in the top of the third.

The performance came as Chisholm Jr, batting in the clean-up spot in the finale of the series, went 1-for-4 with his homer, two RBI as many strike outs and a run scored in the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Mariners. The loss happened a day after the Yankees pulled off a 2-1 victory in 10 innings over the Mariners to clinch another playoff berth and the first postseason appearance for Chisholm Jr. 

“This is a great group of guys. I wouldn’t want to go to war with anybody else right now,” said Chisholm Jr in a postgame interview in the locker room where the Yankees celebrated with their champagne party.

The 26-year-old third baseman didn’t have the offensive night he expected, going 0-for-4 as the fifth batter in the line-up. 

But he admitted that he’s thrilled to be able to make his contribution as the newest Yankee on the roster.

“I love being a Yankee. These guys are making it great and we’re going to go and win the World Series,” Chisholm Jr stated. 

New York has the best record in the American League at 89-63 and leads second-place Baltimore by five games in the AL East with 10 to play, ensuring that  the Yankees at least a wild card. 

While it’s their 59th postseason appearance in franchise history, the Yankees are hoping that this will be the year for them to end a World Series drought from 2009 when New York won its 27th title.

Just before he got dosed by his team-mates, led by right fielder Juan Soto, in what they hope to be the beginning of a season-ending celebration in October, he said he’s excited to be among the 40-man roster as they look to win it all this year. When it counted the most on Wednesday, Nestor Cortes fired six scoreless innings and Anthony Rizzo doubled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to seal the deal. 

As for Soto, who was 1-for-2 in the game, Chisholm Jr said they both connected from one day that he joined the Yankees and he’s been an inspiration for him to follow in his pursuit of greatness. “He’s an amazing baseball player, but he’s an even better human being,” Chisholm Jr noted about the 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic. “Out here, he’s been helping everybody. Anybody who needs help, he’s been there for them. 

“He’s been a great guy and a great team-mate. So he’s been almost everything to me being here so far.”

Soto and Aaron Judge became the third Yankees duo to each have at least 40 homers in a season, joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1927, ‘30 and ‘31) and Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle (1961).

Chisholm Jr and the Yankees will be back in action at 9:40 pm tonight when they face the Oakland Athletics’ in the first of a three-game series through Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum. They will remain on the road to take on the Baltimore Orioles at the Oriole Park at Camden Yards from Tuesday to Thursday. And then they will wrap up the regular season against Pittsburgh Pirates from Friday to Sunday.