If Yankees fans were waiting for Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second-guess his costly throw in Game 2, they’re going to be waiting a while.
After the Tampa Bay Rays beat New York 5-2 Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the ALDS, Chisholm was asked what he would do differently after a disastrous first inning that featured three Yankees errors.
His answer was blunt: he’d probably make the same throw again.
“I’d probably still throw it, honestly,” Chisholm told reporters. “The play that was trying to be made. I feel like I could’ve made an even better throw.”
The mistake came with runners on first and second and nobody out.
Junior Caminero hit a bouncing grounder up the middle that Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. fielded behind second base. Lombard flipped the ball to Chisholm for the force, but instead of taking the out and holding onto the ball, Chisholm barehanded the feed, spun around and attempted an off-balance throw to first.
The throw sailed past first baseman Luis Garcia Jr., allowing Yandy Díaz to score and putting Tampa Bay ahead 1-0.
Chisholm acknowledged the execution could have been better, but not necessarily the decision.
“Where I’d throw it, I’d try and throw it a little more closer to the base. My back was turned,” he said.
He also credited Lombard for making the initial play and explained that he was simply trying to complete the double play.
“I was just trying to make a play, trying to get my pitcher out of the play,” Chisholm said. “My shortstop made a great play. I tried to make a great play too.”
Unfortunately for New York, the defensive chaos didn’t stop there.
Third baseman Ryan McMahon committed an error on a routine ground ball to open the inning, while Chisholm nearly committed another mistake later in the frame before Lombard helped clean it up.
The Yankees ultimately committed four errors, with three coming in the first inning.
Chisholm’s offense didn’t provide much relief, either. He went 0-for-4, while the Yankees managed only two runs — both coming from Ben Rice, who launched two solo home runs.
The loss leaves New York staring at elimination. The Yankees return to the Bronx Wednesday for Game 3, where another defeat would end their postseason run.
For Chisholm, though, there doesn’t appear to be much regret about the decision that helped put them in this position. He just wishes he had made the throw better.
