Bulletin board material!
The Royals topped the Yankees 4-2 in Game 2 of the ALDS, tying up the series through a four-run fourth inning that knocked starting pitcher Carlos Rodón out of the game.
After the game, Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. expressed confidence but perhaps gave the Royals some bulletin board material when he told reporters how he felt.
“It still feels the same, that we’re going to win it. I don’t feel like anybody feels any different. We’re going to go out there and do our thing still, we still don’t feel like any team is better than us. We had a lot of missed opportunities tonight, so they just got lucky.”
“We’re gonna win it… We had a lot of missed opportunities tonight. (The Royals) just got lucky.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. speaks on how he feels about the series after the loss pic.twitter.com/EoHHbYHc4m
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 8, 2024
It has already been quite a series for Chisholm, whose stolen base in Game 1 was the focal point of the game after replays showed he should have been out, but the “safe” call was not overturned. He would end up scoring the game-winning run on a single by Alex Verdugo. Chisholm also homered in the ninth inning of Game 2, although the Yankees comeback effort fell short.
You want players to be unflappable in the wake of a loss and Chisholm said the right thing up to the last five words he uttered. You can bet that the Royals – who already seemed unamused by the antics of Rodón and have been on the wrong end of a lot of ball/strike calls – will use the quote to get fired up for the rest of the series.
But its not like they needed extra motivation. They’ll have 40,000 of their closest friends in Kansas City rocking the K on Wednesday with the hopes the Royals can close it out at home. If they’re lucky.