Jazz Chisholm Jr. Inspires Yankees To Game 2 Victory, Sets Up Do-Or-Die Clash

Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Image: Yankees)

With Game 2 of the AL Wild Card on a knife-edge in the seventh inning, the visiting Boston Red Sox had two runners on base with momentum on their side. The team trailed twice, but after tying the game in the previous inning, the Red Sox looked poised to eliminate fierce rivals the New York Yankees.

Up stepped designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, whose hit looked to be heading into the outfield and potentially giving Boston the go-ahead run.

But second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached the ball on a dive, keeping the Yankees in the game and perhaps keeping their season alive. In the following inning, Chisholm delivered again by scoring from first base on an Austin Wells single.

The run regained the lead for the Yankees, which they held onto and won 4-3, setting up a win-or-go-home Game 3 against the Red Sox on Thursday night.

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“Anything to help us win,” Chisholm said after the game. “All that was clear before I came to the field today. After I left the field yesterday, I won the next game. It is win or go home for us. It is all about winning.”

After losing Game 1, the Yankees faced elimination going into Wednesday night. The team made a quick start in the opening inning after first baseman Ben Rice recorded a two-run homer into right field. The Red Sox responded in the third inning when shortstop Trevor Story‘s single allowed center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and outfielder Jarren Duran to tie the game.

Both teams traded single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, which set the stage for Chisholm’s game-decisive plays.

When asked about his go-ahead run, the second baseman said he always had the mentality to score despite starting from first base.

“Any ball that an outfielder moves to his left or right, I have to score, in my head,” he said. “That’s all I was thinking.”

The victory sets up a winner-takes-all showdown on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. It will be the fourth time the Yankees and Red Sox face each other in a win-or-go-home scenario. The winner faces the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.