Since entering the visitors’ dugout at Boston’s Fenway Park on Sunday, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has made a memorable first impression for the New York Yankees.
After hitting four home runs for his new team, Chisholm made his home debut Friday night when the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays and try to extend their winning streak to six games.
Chisholm was acquired from the Miami Marlins on Saturday for three prospects and made his debut in center field for Sunday’s 8-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. He played his first three career games at third base during a three-game sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies and posted consecutive multi-homer games while driving in eight runs in a 14-4 win on Monday and a 7-6, 12-inning victory on Tuesday.
“This is what I live for. I love the lights, I love big crowds, it’s very exciting,” Chisholm said Tuesday about joining the Yankees. “I think it complements my game, being under the lights, being in big moments.”
Chisholm has hit 7-for-19 (.368) with the Yankees after hitting .249 in 101 games with the Marlins this season. He had one hit in Wednesday’s 6-5 win, which included a breakout day for struggling veteran DJ LeMahieu, who hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs.
The win in Philadelphia gave New York five straight wins for the first time since they won eight in a row from May 29 to June 6, when they started 45-19. Before winning the last five games, the Yankees had fallen to 10-23.
“It feels a little better, but we also know we’re still a long way from where we want to be and the finish line,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees will play 15 consecutive games against teams below .500, and the Blue Jays have lost three of four in Baltimore.
The Blue Jays are playing 10 consecutive games against the Yankees and Orioles, and their trip ended with a 10-4 loss in Baltimore on Wednesday. Addison Barger hit the first two homers of his career in the series, and Joey Loperfido went 1-for-5 in his Toronto debut after being acquired from the Houston Astros for Yusei Kikuchi on Wednesday.
George Springer had two hits and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Guerrero is batting .500 (26-52) during the longest streak by a Blue Jay this season.
“We’re not in the position right now that we want to be in as a team, as an organization, but there’s always a way to take something good out of something,” Springer told reporters before Wednesday’s game. “There’s a lot of guys that are going to get some valuable experience and, in my eyes, there’s no substitute for that.”
Toronto’s revamped lineup will face Marcus Stroman (7-5, 3.64 ERA), who is 0-2 with a 5.64 ERA in his last five starts. Stroman gave up five runs (three earned) on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings before New York won 11-8 in 10 innings at Boston on Saturday.
The right-hander has a 2.61 ERA in four career no-decisions against the Blue Jays, for whom he pitched from 2014-19.
The Blue Jays are set to start Kevin Gausman (9-8, 4.44), who is 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA in his last three outings. Gausman last pitched on Saturday when he threw his second complete game this season and the third of his career in a 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers. He allowed three runs on four hits.
Gausman has a 10-9 record with a 3.51 ERA in 34 career appearances (28 starts) against the Yankees. He has an 0-2 record and a 10.97 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season.
–Field Level Media
