NEW YORK -- Churning around third base, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was slipping and sliding inside his left cleat, the perspiration from a summer Bronx afternoon already having soaked through his Yankees-issued socks by the second inning. When the laces came loose, there was no time to turn back.
His shoe abandoned somewhere up the third-base line, Chisholm reached home plate safely, winning a crash that jarred the baseball loose. It was just the beginning of his action-packed performance, which featured a late go-ahead knock in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
“That’s what I live for. That’s how I grew up playing baseball,” Chisholm said. “High school, Little League, that’s how I played. And I feel like there’s no need to change.”
Come-from-behind victories have been scarce for the Yankees this season; they had been just 1-22 when trailing after seven innings. His kicks freshly tied by teammate Jasson Domínguez (“They say he’s the best shoe-tier”), Chisholm changed that by hammering a 3-0 fastball from reliever Bryan Baker in the eighth, sending a two-run double up the gap in right-center field.
Chisholm said the at-bat is an example of his new “70 percent” mindset, which came at the suggestion of assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler. It may be a fancy way of saying "don’t try to do too much," but it’s working for Chisholm -- since coming off the injured list June 3, Chisholm is batting .350/.420/.567 (21-for-60) with four doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs.
“Jazz is a spark, all the way around,” said right-hander Will Warren, who limited the O’s to two runs over 6 1/3 innings. “Today we were calling him Barry Sanders with the collisions at the plate. He’s so toolsy -- he’s got the speed, he can hit, he can field. He can do it all.”
The go-ahead run was scored by Paul Goldschmidt, who entered the game as a pinch-runner after Giancarlo Stanton’s one-out single. The 37-year-old veteran had been preparing for a possible at-bat off the bench, or perhaps an inning of defense, but he was game for his first career pinch-running assignment.
“I didn’t know where the ball was; I was just looking at [third-base coach] Luis [Rojas] over there, just trying to run as fast as I could,” Goldschmidt said. “You try to read the catcher going for the ball and just get to home as quickly as possible.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he was “a little nervous” about Rojas’ decision to send Goldschmidt, but ultimately was “on board with it.”
“It just embodies who Goldy is,” Boone said. “That’s a guy in his late 30s that’s probably going to the Hall of Fame, that is probably going to the All-Star Game this year. The guy is ready to go, pinch-run and do that. That’s freaking humility.”
Through seven innings, the Yankees managed little: just one hit with runners in scoring position, which came on DJ LeMahieu’s second-inning single. That play prompted someone to later crack: “Shoeless Jazz.”
Colton Cowser uncorked a throw from left field that drew catcher Maverick Handley up the third-base line. Chisholm and Handley smashed as the ball shot toward the first-base dugout; Handley tumbled to the dirt, as did Chisholm, who staggered momentarily, then went back to touch home plate safely.
The collision knocked Chisholm’s other shoe off, too; Boone quipped: “He ran right out of his shoes. It doesn’t surprise me.” As he moved toward the dugout, home-plate umpire Jansen Visconti directed Chisholm to collect his cleats.
“I think it’s because I was so sweaty, my socks were wet, everything,” Chisholm said. “It just slipped straight out. I’ve never had that happen before; I’ve run out of one, but not both.”
Fernando Cruz struck out three to escape a two-on, none-out jam in the eighth, picking up the win in relief. Of course the final run also involved Chisholm, on base after his go-ahead double. LeMahieu hit a chopper to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who fired home -- Chisholm dove headfirst and reached for the plate with his left hand, making contact with catcher Gary Sánchez.
Chisholm was initially called out, a ruling quickly flipped when it was clear Sánchez never had control of the ball. Watching from the on-deck circle, Austin Wells howled: “Touch the plate!” Chisholm grinned as he reached the bench, escorted by Boone, who said the dirt caked on Chisholm’s face “looked like glitter.”
All in a day’s work.
“I feel like any time I step on the field wearing this uniform, and with the guys that come on the field with me, we can come back from anything,” Chisholm said.