Jazz Chisholm Jr. Says Yankees ‘Realized We’re the Team to Beat’ amid MLB Playoff Push

New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. discussed the team’s mindset while battling for positioning in the American League postseason picture.

“We said it all year long, that we’ve been playing to everybody else’s level instead of our own level,” Chisholm said Saturday, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “We’ve been letting games go. We’ve been losing games ourselves. Making errors, just having poor at-bats and stuff like that.

“So, at the end of the day, we finally looked ourselves in the mirror and realized we’re the team to beat, and that’s how we’ve been stepping on the field for the last two weeks.”

With a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the Yankees improved to 83-65 and took a 2.5-game lead for the top AL Wild Card spot. New York still trails the Toronto Blue Jays by three games for the AL East lead.

The Yankees started their 2024 AL pennant defense on a high note, owning a 42-25 record in June. They went on to lose 31 of their next 51 games, sitting at No. 3 in the division standings on Aug. 10.

New York has steadily gotten back on track, owning a 13-5 record over its past 18 games.

Chisholm has served as a key contributor in the Yankees’ lineup throughout the season, racking up 13 doubles, 29 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 56 walks and 75 RBI in 116 games while posting an .833 OPS.

The two-time All-Star has remained productive as of late, compiling a .296/.361/.537 slash line across his past 15 appearances.

While the Yankees may not be atop the AL standings, Chisholm and the rest of the team are continuing to operate as if they are.