Like many left-handed hitters with some power, Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn’t help but be drawn to the short right field seats at Yankee Stadium.
And that was before he hit four home runs in his first four games after being traded from the Marlins to the Yankees.
The four of them took a road trip to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia before Chisholm played his first game in the Bronx.
After signing with Miami in a trade for three minor leaguers, Chisholm played center field for the Red Sox at Fenway Park and then dominated with the Yankees in Philadelphia.
He was brilliant at third base, going 7-for-19 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs while striking out just 2 times in his first four games, all wins.
But the left-handed hitter Chisholm’s performance was off at the stadium, especially in Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Angels, where he was just one hit in eight at-bats and struck out six times.
When asked if the closeness of the right field seats affected his early play in his new home, Chisholm acknowledged it did, adding that Wednesday’s strikeout-filled chaos might have been a positive.
“The first four days [it did]Chisholm noted that the ballpark may have negatively affected his approach at the plate, “but [Wednesday] When that happened, I just thought, ‘Forget it, I’m going to go out there and hit the ball and it’ll work out.’ I have the ability to go anywhere.”
That attitude, combined with extra practice time with hitting coach James Rowson and assistants Pat Roesler and Casey Dykes before Thursday’s game, paid immediate dividends.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit bigger,” Chisholm said. “Right field is a little bit shorter, so I was pulling the ball a little bit. [we] I worked all day and the results were great.”
Chisholm noted that since joining the Yankees, he’s pulled the ball 50 percent of the time, compared to his career 34.7 percent.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since Chisholm’s 418-foot home run on Thursday was pulled deep into right-center field and, as expected, would have traveled from all 30 MLB stadiums, according to Statcast.
He also homered off Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson, his second straight home run against a left-handed pitcher; prior to that, 14 of his 16 home runs had come against right-handed pitchers.
Chisholm has continued to play well at third base, preventing just two defensive runs in his first 85 innings at the position, according to Fangraphs.
He mostly performed well as a second baseman in Miami, but often struggled at shortstop and center field.
“When I ride on dirt [in the infield]”I feel like I’m myself again,” Chisholm said. “I can go out on the court and play my game, and it’s fun.”
