Jazz Chisholm Jr. has done nothing but enjoy life thus far in his stint in the Bronx after getting traded to the New York Yankees. Getting traded from the Miami Marlins to one of the best teams in the MLB will have that effect. But during their Wednesday night contest against the Texas Rangers, Chisholm ran into a bit of an issue as he came to the plate with two outs and a runner on second in the top of the first inning.
With Chisholm set to bat, he could not manage to get the donut off his bat. Perhaps it was jammed on too tightly, and the Yankees third baseman couldn’t muster enough strength to remove it in time for his at-bat. Thankfully for Chisholm, Giancarlo Stanton was the man on the on-deck circle. He then sought the hulking slugger’s help in removing the donut, and Stanton gladly obliged, doing so by forcefully slamming the handle of the bat onto the dirt to force the donut to come off.
What a funny moment this is that shows the disparity in raw strength and mass that Chisholm and Stanton possess. Chisholm is listed at 5’11”, 184 lbs., while Stanton is at 6’6″, 245 lbs. — a monster difference.
Alas, this was perhaps the last fun moment the Yankees will have on the night, as they are currently up against it on Wednesday night against the Rangers. Texas, despite struggling for much of 2024, has put up a strong effort on the night, holding the Yankees offense to just two runs while chasing starter Marcus Stroman, scoring five runs on him after just 3.2 innings of work.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton, in particular, haven’t had a good time whatsoever despite their lighthearted moment in the top of the first inning. Those two hitters, whom the Yankees expect to help create run production, have combined to go 0-6 thus far on the night, with Nathan Eovaldi having his way with the New York lineup for most of the game.
With the Baltimore Orioles losing to the Chicago White Sox of all teams on Wednesday, this could have been a golden opportunity for the Yankees to take a half-game lead in the AL East standings. But it looks as though they will be ending the night in second place, barring an epic rally in the final few innings.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton’s 2024 impact for the Yankees
The rationale behind the Yankees’ interest in bringing in Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn’t very difficult to understand. Chisholm remains under team control until 2026, and he has displayed some impressive pop during his time with the Marlins.
Now with the Yankees, whenever he’s been healthy, the 26-year-old has been very impactful — slashing .340/.379/.660 in 103 plate appearances for the team in pinstripes prior to Wednesday night. Chisholm is definitely receiving rave reviews within those in the organization, as the team deployed him as their cleanup hitter on Wednesday night against the Rangers.
Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton is in the middle of a bounce-back season of sorts. Failing to hit above the Mendoza Line in 2023, the 34-year-old designated hitter has put up a slash line of .242/.302/.499 in 2024, which is good for an above-average wRC+ of 123. He also has 25 home runs and 62 runs batted in on the year, already a better tally than he had last season.
