ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jazz Chisholm Jr. checked his phone when he woke up, and unbeknownst to him, a storm awaited.
Chisholm found himself embroiled in a controversy that he did not cause. Boston Red Sox radio play-by-play broadcaster Will Flemming called Chisholm a “bush league player” and someone who “plays the game the wrong way” after the New York Yankees second baseman stole two bases in a 7-1 game in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Red Sox were not holding Chisholm on first base, which normally means the defending team is indifferent to the offensive team taking the next base.
“They’re called unwritten rules because you’re not really breaking any rules,” Chisholm said inside the visitors’ clubhouse Monday at Angel Stadium. “You’ve seen teams — actually them (two seasons ago) — do the same thing where they’re pouring on runs. We didn’t have nothing to say or nothing to do about it.
“That’s just showing how unprofessional he is.”
Chisholm was referencing a July 2024 game when the Red Sox stole a franchise-record nine bases against the Yankees in a 9-3 rout. That night, Yankees manager Aaron Boone took no exception to the Red Sox running rampant on his club, citing that was how the Red Sox play the game.
In Sunday’s 16-1 win over Boston, it was not Chisholm who decided he was going to steal in the eighth inning, but rather his manager. Boone said he yelled across the field to Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy that if they were not going to hold Chisholm on the bag, he was going to have him run.
“I’m an old-school baseball guy,” Boone said. “I’ve been around doing this forever. I respect some of the unwritten rules. I really do. I think they’ve evolved and changed some. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s right for my team and try not to get so caught up in what the other team’s doing. I felt like we did the right thing.”
Several of Chisholm’s teammates were aghast at Flemming also suggesting Red Sox reliever Jovani Morán should throw at Austin Wells in the batter’s box as retaliation. Yankees starter Carlos Rodón said, “It’s stupid to talk about because you’re getting beat.”
He also offered up a suggestion for next time.
“Pitch better,” Rodón told The Athletic. “This is not the pat-on-your-back league, and we’re going to be nice to you. Everyone’s coming to take the food off your table, and they’re coming to take your money. That’s how this game is played. There are no nice guys.”
Boone said Flemming apologized to him earlier on Monday, and he accepted what was said on the phone call. Flemming did not apologize to Chisholm, but he doesn’t care to hear from the broadcaster.
“To be honest with you, I don’t,” Chisholm said.
Flemming was previously scheduled to be off for Boston’s series with Seattle and was not on the air for Monday’s game. Boston manager Chad Tracy brushed off the episode in a pregame interview, saying, “It’s not high on the priority list of things to worry about right now.”
Yankees captain Aaron Judge was one of the players who was stunned to hear what Flemming said. Judge has been one of Chisholm’s biggest advocates behind the scenes in wanting him to be aggressive on the field.
Judge also said the magnitude of the game needs to be taken into account. Sunday’s game determined which club won the season series and thus the tiebreaker. Judge said if the Red Sox were able to get a couple of runners on base and hit a home run, all of a sudden the Yankees would have to get their bullpen loose. That’s why getting upset over Chisholm being aggressive on the bases doesn’t make sense to him.
“He needs to stay out of that and not be telling people to throw at players and injure players,” Judge said. “That’s not what this game’s about.
“Not too happy hearing broadcasters talking about trying to injure or hurt players. He needs to clean that up.”
As for Chisholm, he was unaffected by Flemming’s comments. Inside Angel Stadium’s visitors’ clubhouse are autographed baseballs that decorate the walls from visiting players who’ve made their MLB debut at the ballpark. He paraded around the room admiring the players and was surprised to learn that Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña made his debut in Anaheim.
If Flemming’s remarks made a lasting impression on Chisholm, he did not come across as someone who put much thought into it.
“I didn’t even know who that was until this morning,” Chisholm said of Flemming. “And I’m still not going to remember who he is after today.”
