The New York Yankees started the second half of the 2026 season with a 1-2 series defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and on Monday, they looked to start fresh and find their momentum as they began a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After struggling offensively against LA, the lineup came to life against Pittsburgh, with two four-run innings early in the game leading to the much needed 8-5 victory to start a very important series ahead of the trade deadline. The star of the show was polarizing infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who left the yard twice at Yankee Stadium, and after the game, he revealed what sparked his offensive breakout.
Jazz Chisholm Credits Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe for Breakout Game
GettyJazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
After the Dodgers series, Chisholm Jr. drew interest around baseball after getting candid and revealing his belief that he has ‘sucked’, but on Monday, he managed to spark the much needed win for the Yankees. In both the first and the third inning, Chisholm Jr. left the yard for New York, driving in five runs in arguably his best performance of the season for the Yankees, and after the game, he noted that it was teammates, led by Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe that encouraged him, helping him to break out of his slump, according to Gary Phillips of NY Daily News.
“They were just like, ‘Bro, let’s not forget who you are. You’re the greatest in the world,’” Chisholm Jr. said.
In the past, Chisholm Jr. has shown he can be among the most productive second baseman in all of baseball, but after a series that saw him go 3-11 against the Dodgers, clearly he was down on his confidence as the team fell by a combined score of 11-5 at the hands of the reigning back-to-back World Series Champions.
Will This Game Spark the Yankees Lineup?
All of those struggles were put to the side however when the team racked up 11 hits, knocking starter Braxton Ashcraft out of the game after 3.0 innings and seven earned runs, with the team getting back to 56-44 on the season as they now sit 1.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East standings.
After the series opening win against the Pirates, the Yankees now rank 10th in the big leagues in runs scored while coming in 23rd in team batting average, meaning that while this is a step in the right direction, fans are still understandably frustrated about the lack of consistency in recent times, although Monday should go a long way to easing those feelings.
With an elite level pitching staff, this isn’t a team that needs to score eight runs a game to win on a consistent basis, but after the breakout on Monday, if their offense can regain some momentum moving forward into the trade deadline, this is a team that could enter October as a genuine World Series favorite in the American League.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Yankees Star Jazz Chisholm Reveals What Sparked his Two-Homer Game Against Pittsburgh appeared first on HEAVY.