The Yankees poked fun at the snub Jazz Chisholm Jr. received from the Kansas City crowd at a champagne celebration after punching his ticket to the ALCS.
On Thursday night, the Yanks defeated the Royals 3-1 in Game 4, with teammates booing Chisholm while pouring champagne inside the clubhouse. This was a nod to the heckles Royals fans were showering him during his at-bats in the series — which was what I liked about the trade deadline acquisition.
“Oh, I love it,” Chisholm can be heard saying in a video posted by MLB.
When Chisholm was asked about a heated moment during a game in which both teams' benches were empty, he cited a hard slide by the Royals' Michael Garcia into Anthony Volpe.
“I felt like he tried to hurt Volpe because he was so competitive,” Chisholm said. “He's been talking a lot on Instagram and Twitter and stuff like that. I do the same thing, but I don't try to hurt people who are winning games.”
After Kansas City won Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, Chisholm said the Royals were “lucky” and basked in the glory of being the ALDS' villain.
When the series moved to Kansas City, Chisholm was greeted with loud boos from Royals fans, and he told reporters after Game 3 that he told catcher Salvador Perez, “I love this game.” .
“It gets my juices flowing and energizes me,” Chisholm said. “I hear loud noises and have everything in my head. I've never seen anyone boo my ass.”
Chisholm had no hits in Thursday night's series-clinching game, but he walked on base in the top of the sixth inning.
On July 27, the Yankees acquired Chisholm in a trade with the Marlins while playing against the Orioles in the American League East.
In the regular season after the trade, he had a batting average of .273 and 11 home runs in 191 at-bats, helping the Yankees defeat the Orioles and win the AL East Division.
The Yankees advanced to face the Tigers vs. Guardians series winner.
The ALCS series begins Monday at Yankee Stadium.
