The New York Yankees’ newest infield experiment proved unexpectedly beneficial against the Oakland Athletics when Yanks’ $5.85 million star homered, tripled, walked, and brought in four runs, making a massive impact in the 12-5 win against the A’s. Even the Yankees’ Captain, Aaron Judge, homered twice after going hitless across his seven at-bats of this series. But Judge’s post-game comments centered around his teammate.

No prizes for guessing we are talking about Jazz Chisholm Jr who blasted a homer in his first at-bat during the second inning. He then followed that up with a triple, driving in three more runs and ended up recording 4 RBIs for the third time this season.

For Judge, on the other hand, this game marked the fifth occasion this season where he homered multiple times. After this series, his batting average sits at .356. Now, that’s worth a mention in his media appearance, you would think. But nope. The captain was more interested in talking about Chisholm’s heroics.

“Oh, it was huge. Um, especially going to the rubber match there. Um, must-win game, especially to go out there and win the series, going up against Severino, who we know very well, always pitches us tough,” Judge said.

Well, Severino, who was once a Yankee, got through the first inning without giving up any runs. However, Chisholm responded with a home run during the second inning that put the Yankees up 1-0. Eventually, Severino’s day on the mound ended sooner than expected.

“For Jazz to go out there with one swing, kind of give us a lead and um, kind of spark everything and then even some of his defensive plays, they were really impressive, man,” Judge further remarked. He also revealed that Chisholm’s ability to change the game on both sides of the ball is why he calls him a “game changer.”

When asked if Chisholm Jr. was meeting the Yankees’ lofty expectations, Judge spoke highly of him. “That’s what the Yankees do. We go after guys that are going to make an impact… You stick him in the middle of the order, and good things are going to happen. He can hit the long ball when we need to or bring a little excitement with that bases-clearing triple. He’s a special player,” he added.

In an outing where Judge himself slammed two homers and carried 4 RBIs to his name, he turned the spotlight towards his teammate. But hey, there was an instance in the game where Chisholm gave the Yanks a bit of a scare.

The Yankees ‘almost received another injury setback

Chisholm, who homered and hit a base-clearing triple earlier in the game against the Athletics, shook the Yankees during the sixth inning. The third baseman seemed to hurt his right hand while checking his swing. It prompted him to drop his bat and stop for a while.

He then walked towards the dugout along with a trainer. For some time, there was a pin-drop silence all around the Yankee stadium as Chisholm didn’t come right back up. Soon enough, however, he was back. After the game, he revealed that the bat slipped out of his hand and hit his finger. But later, he felt fine.

The Yankees have already had more than their fair share of injuries this season. They couldn’t afford another one. Particularly considering that Chisholm has only recently returned from an oblique injury. The team has been relying on him ever since his comeback on June 3.

When he returned in the seventh inning, Chisholm appeared to be smiling which was an indication that the blow he suffered a while ago was not a major one. He pushed through and delivered exceptionally as the Yanks notched a 12-5 win. It was a massive relief for the tea⁣m!