NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm stood at first base in the seventh inning of the New York Yankees ‘ 6-5 win Saturday night, reading the game in front of him, calculating whether there was a chance for him to swipe second.
He represented the winning run in the Yankees’ seesaw clash against the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Reaching scoring position was paramount.
Finally, with Anthony Volpe in a full count against Michael Lorenzen , he let first-base coach Travis Chapman know it was time.
“Hey, I might go here,” Chisholm told Chapman. “He might bury one now.”
Sure enough, Chisholm dashed for second as Lorenzen buried a sweeper in the dirt to strike out Volpe. He got a poor jump, but Royals catcher Salvador Pérez ‘s throw sailed, forcing second baseman Michael Massey to leap to make the catch before applying an acrobatic tag.
Chisholm’s left foot just beat Massey’s glove — or so second-base umpire Lance Barrett ruled. The Royals challenged the call.