Yankees Superstar Unimpressed By Royals In Game 2 Defeat: 'They Just Got Lucky'
The mentality of a world-class athlete can be difficult to access. One has to respect everyone, yet fear no one.
It's difficult to tell where Jazz Chisholm Jr. falls on that spectrum with regard to the Kansas City Royals.
On Monday night in the Bronx, Kansas City defeated the New York Yankees 4-2 to even up the American League Division Series at one game apiece. All four of their runs came in the fourth inning against starting pitcher Carlos Rodón, and Kansas City's bullpen carried them the rest of the way.
Chisholm, the Yankees' third baseman acquired at the trade deadline, had a throwing error and went 0-for-3 to begin the evening, but then launched a solo home run off Royals closer Lucas Erceg to cut the lead to two in the bottom of the ninth, which was as close as the Yankees would get.
It was a humbling night in many ways for the Yankees, who have played oddly inconsistent baseball all year for a team with the league's best record. But in the wake of the loss, Chisholm appeared unconcerned about the possibility that the Royals could do further damage.
"Still feels the same that we're gonna win it," Chisholm said (via SNY). "I don't feel like anyone feels any different... We still don't feel like any other team is better than us. Like you said, we had a lot of missed opportunities tonight, so they just got lucky."
Is it wise for Chisholm to give his opponents bulletin board material? The way he's talking, it doesn't seem as though he believes it will matter. In his mind, if the Yankees play their best game, the Royals can't touch them. But he may be in for a rude awakening.
Heading back to Kauffman Stadium is going to change this series dramatically. The Kansas City faithful haven't seen a playoff home game since Game 2 of the 2015 World Series. With Seth Lugo on the mound facing playoff first-timer Clarke Schmidt, the Royals will have all the momentum to begin Game 3.
Of course, Chisholm or one of his Yankees teammates could instantly change all that momentum. That's why we play the games. But that quote will be remembered as a turning point if New York gets eliminated by the end of this week.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org