NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. was not in the lineup Tuesday because the New York Yankees were facing Boston Red Sox ace left-hander Garrett Crochet.
While Chisholm appeared to not be thrilled with manager Aaron Boone’s decision, he and the rest of the Yankees were elated with the second baseman’s impact on Wednesday.
Chisholm and the Yankees will attempt to eliminate the Red Sox on Thursday when the longtime rivals play a winner-take-all Game 3 of their American League wild-card series.
New York rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler, a Boston-area native, will start against his hometown team. Rookie left-hander Connelly Early will start for the Red Sox, and Chisholm definitely will be in the lineup.
The winner will advance to the best-of-five AL Division Series, with Game 1 against the host Toronto Blue Jays scheduled for Saturday.
“I feel like every game is a must-win,” Chisholm said. “… We always put everything out there on the line, especially the playoffs. … There’s no space. You don’t want to give any team an edge.”
Chisholm’s imprints were all over the late innings as the Yankees avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday.
In the seventh inning, Chisholm knocked down a ground ball by pinch hitter Masataka Yoshida to hold him to an infield single, prevent a run from scoring. The game stayed tied when Fernando Cruz escaped a bases-loaded jam.
In the eighth, Chisholm walked with two outs after seeing seven pitches from Garrett Whitlock. He scored from first on a headfirst slide when Austin Wells singled down the right field line.
“He loves to play,” Boone said of Chisholm. “He feels a responsibility to us, his teammates. And, you know, he and I have always been good. Despite what you may think happened (Tuesday), like, yeah, he’s a gamer, and, you know, he likes the stage.”
The Red Sox never led on Wednesday, though they tied the game twice thanks to Trevor Story, who hit well against the Yankees during the regular season. Story belted a two-run single in the third inning, and he added a solo homer in the sixth after the Yankees went ahead on a single by Aaron Judge.
Boston also was aggressive with its pitching staff, pulling Brayan Bello in the third inning after he allowed a two-run homer to Ben Rice in the first. The right-hander was out after 28 pitches.
“I thought it was a great ballgame,” Whitlock said. “I thought both sides played really well. I think you saw that with (in Games 1 and 2). And so hopefully we can put together a good game (Thursday) and go from there.”
After Crochet pitched 7 2/3 innings and Aroldis Chapman got the final four outs on Tuesday, Boston deployed six relievers (Justin Wilson, Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Zack Kelly, Whitlock and Payton Tolle) on Wednesday.
“We were doing everything possible to get to the top of the ninth with a tie game,” Cora said after Whitlock threw a season-high 47 pitches.
Schlittler, who played at Northeastern University, which is a half-mile from Fenway Park, earned the start after a stellar two-plus months in the rotation. He finished 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts after making his debut July 9.
“He gave us a shot in the arm when he became another stabilizing force in our rotation,” Boone said Tuesday afternoon. “He will handle it well regardless of result or whatever, like I don’t think it will be too big for him, and he will be ready to roll.”
The 24-year-old struck out nine and pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in his latest start.
Schlittler did not face the Red Sox in the regular season but said he faced Boston in an exhibition game when he was at Northeastern.
“Obviously I am a lot different player than I was then,” Schlittler said. “So didn’t really expect to be in this situation back then, but now I am definitely happy I am.”
Early was Boston’s fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, and he went 1-2 with 2.33 ERA in four starts to open his major league career this year. He is filling in on Thursday for Lucas Giolito, who likely will miss the postseason due to elbow pain.
Early has yet to face the Yankees. He last pitched on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, when he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, throwing 86 pitches.
“It comes down to this game, and I’m excited to get out there,” Early said. “I’ve stuck to all my preparation and feel pretty good, so I’m ready to go out there and do it.”
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
