Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached a milestone reserved for a select few in Yankees history when he hit his 26th home run and stole his 25th base of the season, joining the exclusive 25/25 club. Only six players on the team had done it before, including legends such as Rickey Henderson (1986), Bobby Bonds (1975), Alfonso Soriano (2002 and 2003), Alex Rodriguez (2004) and Curtis Granderson (2011).
A week of mixed emotions
The milestone came in a special week for the infielder, who revealed that he had recently lost a close friend. Even so, he showed poise and power on the field: of his six hits, four were home runs, with eight RBIs and two stolen bases. It was a performance that cemented him as one of the most decisive players of the month.
Far from being satisfied with individual achievements, Chisholm took the moment to send a strong message: “We never settle for second or third place. We just lost the World Series last year and we weren’t satisfied, so I don’t think we will be with second place in the division. That would be even more disappointing than losing the World Series”.
A bold statement
The second baseman went further and issued a direct challenge: “We’ll go out and win that division and then we’ll win the World Series.” Words that reflect the competitive hunger of a player who has assumed a leadership role both on the field and in the locker room.
With the Yankees in the thick of the division race and a postseason berth assured, Chisholm becomes the spark that can make the difference. His power, speed and confidence come at just the right time for a team looking for revenge after falling short in last year’s World Series.
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