BOSTON – Jazz Chisholm Jr. rounded the bases after a deep drive that cleared the visitors’ bullpen in right field, part of a three-RBI afternoon to help power a victory over the Red Sox. Yet the Yankees’ infielder may have saved his biggest swings for after the game.
His team flying high after securing a 5-3 win that nudged them closer to the finish line of a gauntlet against playoff contenders, Chisholm declared his Yankees the American League’s team to beat, saying these two games at Fenway Park represented a statement.
“We’re the best team in the league,” Chisholm said. “Any team that thinks they’re better than us, they should know that when we step on the field, we’re coming with relentlessness. We’re coming to step on necks. We’re not here to play around.”
The wrinkle in that, of course, is that – even after winning three straight, five of seven and holding the Majors’ best record (21-9) since Aug. 11 – the Yankees are still looking up in the American League East.
New York (83-65) remains three games behind the Blue Jays (86-62) in the division. It pulled 2 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox (81-68) for the top seed in the Wild Card race, with Boston holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
“We’ve said it all year long: we’ve been playing to everybody else’s level instead of our own level,” Chisholm said. “We’ve been losing games ourselves; making errors, just having poor at-bats and stuff like that. We finally looked ourselves in the mirror and realized that we’re the team to beat. That’s how we’ve been stepping on the field for the past two weeks.”
If the Yankees don’t catch Toronto, they would likely host a Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium. Their opponent could be the Red Sox, but Boston manager Alex Cora cautioned Saturday that his team’s position is hardly secure; the Astros, Mariners (both 81-68) and Rangers (79-70) are still in the mix.
“I think we should stop talking about October, to be honest with you,” said Cora. “There’s a lot of stuff going on [in the standings], and we have to play better. I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait to see if October is part of this.”
Even so, Saturday’s contest carried a whiff of October, highlighted by a nine-pitch showdown between Cody Bellinger and Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.
Down 0-2 early against the flame-throwing lefty, Bellinger worked the count full, then fouled off three pitches before banging a run-scoring double off the Green Monster.
“A lot of it is approach,” Bellinger said. “I’m just trying to stay right there and stay with myself. Ultimately, it’s just putting my best swing on the ball as consistently as I can.”
Bellinger sensed extra adrenaline in that at-bat; Max Fried felt similarly as he worked toward his Major League-leading 17th win. Pitching into the sixth inning, the left-hander showcased extra life on his fastball, clocked as high as 98.8 mph. As manager Aaron Boone put it: “Fenway in September will do that to you.”
“Knowing we’re both tight in the standings and I don’t have many opportunities left to go out there and start, I just wanted to make sure I left it all out there,” Fried said.
After navigating traffic in the first two frames, Fried kept Boston off the board until the fifth, when Alex Bregman clanged a solo homer off the Pesky Pole in right field. Three consecutive singles chased Fried in the sixth, with Connor Wong’s run-scoring hit halving New York’s lead.
Luke Weaver extinguished the rally, roaring after striking out Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez to pin the potential tying run aboard.
“That’s a playoff atmosphere right there,” Weaver said. “Huge matchup, huge game, a lot on the line. It just takes me back to some of those moments last year, to just kind of feel the crowd.”
The Yanks’ bullpen has wobbled of late, but Weaver’s outing steadied them as they combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-run relief. Fernando Cruz surrendered Jarren Duran’s pinch-hit homer in the eighth, but David Bednar worked the ninth for his 24th save (seventh with the Yanks).
“As we win these games and get that confidence and momentum going,” Weaver said, “I think the bullpen will straighten out and get right where we need to be.”
Somewhat remarkably considering their rich history, the Yankees have produced only three seasons of at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Bobby Bonds (1975) and Alfonso Soriano (2002, ’03) are the only previous Yankees to register a 30-30 season.
Chisholm has 29 homers now, and he said the distinction “would mean a lot if we win the division with it,” leaving little question about where his priorities lie with 14 games remaining.
“All I want to do is come out with a win after the game every day,” Chisholm said.
