“I’m not trying to think that hard about [the Derby]. I’m not even going to practice for it,” remarked Jazz Chisholm Jr. before Monday night. But he now probably wishes he could unsay that. For the record, Aaron Judge was the last Yankee to clinch the Home Run Derby title back in 2017 at Marlins Park. And this year, Judge was cheering for his teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the sidelines. However, those cheers fell flat.

The New York Yankees’ second baseman, Chisholm Jr., struggled mightily and made an early exit from the Derby.

The left-handed slugger couldn’t go deep enough and ended the night hitting only three home runs during the opening round. His most crushing blast was a soaring high shot straight to the right center that came when the clock expired.

He had the bonus time too, but failed to make the most of it. And that prompted the boos from the stands.

Intriguingly, on the other side of the ball was Geron Sands—Chisholm’s stepfather. “The only person who needs practice is my stepdad. For me, I’ll just go out there, have fun, work 70 percent, don’t do too much, just hit a couple of home runs. Hopefully, I’ll win it by doing that,” he shared before the Derby night.

Since Chisholm’s childhood days, Sands has been throwing batting practice sessions to him in the Bahamas. Currently, Sands is a director of baseball operations at Nassau’s International Elite Sports Academy.

Still, those BP sessions didn’t help Chisholm on Monday night.

However, Chisholm overall had a decent season so far despite missing most of it due to an oblique injury. Across 65 games, he has hit 17 home runs. Yet, all of that was overshadowed on Monday night after his disastrous collapse.

Fans brutally trolled Jazz Chisholm Jr. after his Derby night

After Chisholm Jr.’s underwhelming Home Run Derby performance, boos travelled from the stands to X.

One fan didn’t slam him, but his stepfather. “That person who threw to Jazz was terrible!” Since childhood, Geron Sands had been throwing BP sessions to Chisholm. Fans were divided about whether Sands’ pitching wasn’t good enough or whether Chisholm’s rhythm and timing were the issue.

Then, some poured backlash over his pre-derby statements. “Well, he definitely wasn’t here to win.” Before the game, Chisholm stated that just hitting a couple of homers would be enough for him to win. Well, after his three home runs and zero in bonus, fans clearly didn’t take that well.

Some calls also mounted that Chisholm didn’t deserve the spot in first place. “Eugenio Suarez should have got the spot.” The D-backs phenom Eugenio Suarez has 31 home runs to his name. He has a steady production and, sure, would make a perfect competitor for the Derby night. However, he didn’t make it this time. When he was asked after the Angels-Diamondbacks game, he shared, “Being in the All-Star Game, for me, already means a lot.”

Aaron Judge was the Home Run Derby winner in 2017 and holds 35 home run record by the mid of the 2025 season. Still, he didn’t participate this year, and fans weren’t pleased with Chisholm’s performance. “Judge should have been there instead.” But Judge might only participate in the Derby if it takes place in New York.

Then, of course, Chisholm was trolled and compared to the best hitter in the league. “Shohei Ohtani can hit more HRs holding the bat with his feet.” For the record, Ohtani didn’t want to participate because the derby night demands physical strength, and he wants to save that for the remainder of the season. With 32 home runs to his name, fans believe that if Ohtani were in Chisholm’s spot, it would be a cakewalk for him to hit countless shots.

Well, clearly fans expected a lot from Chisholm. Plus, after his pre-derby comments, the 3 HR board didn’t necessarily scream in his favor. Did you watch the game? Think Chisholm tried there?