PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Controversial Play

The question of whether Jazz Chisholm Jr. could have executed a double play during Saturday night’s game remains uncertain.

His grasp of the rules, however, is also in question.

In a tightly contested game, with one out and bases loaded, a fielding bobble cost him a potential tag-and-throw double play. Chisholm found himself reflecting on the situation, wondering aloud if he could have made a throw to first base and then tagged the runner on second to end the inning. Admitting, “I don’t understand the rules,” he learned from teammate Trent Grisham that the play would have ended anyway since the runner on third was already set to score before any tag could happen.

On Sunday morning, manager Aaron Boone affirmed that Chisholm is aware of the rules. “We’ll discuss it,” he noted ahead of the series finale at Tropicana Field. “He doesn’t seem confused. It’s just his instinctive response when he thinks about these things. In retrospect, had he made a clean throw, he might have been able to make the tag. But, you know, it’s tough to say for sure.”

When pressed about Chisholm’s statement regarding his lack of rule knowledge, Boone reiterated, “I believe he knows the rules.”

Chisholm usually avoids generic responses in interviews, yet he faced backlash on social media for admitting his uncertainty about the game’s regulations.

“I think part of the issue lies in how these things are communicated,” Boone remarked. “You all are there too. Jazz isn’t lacking intelligence. It’s more about how he sometimes presents himself, and he’s gotten a bit behind in certain areas. A few solid plays would definitely help shift that narrative.”