After a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays of 5-2 in the American League Division Series (ALDS) on Monday, Oct. 5, the New York Yankees made four errors that added to the team’s loss, leading them to trail the Rays 2-0. According to Yahoo! Sports, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., third baseman Ryan McMahon, catcher Austin Wells, and shortstop George Lombard Jr. all made serious errors that cost them the win. They are now eliminated from the playoffs.
About the throwing errors by McMahon and Chisholm, Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler said, “It didn’t seem like we really showed up today.” He also said part of the loss was his fault, especially after giving up two earned runs on six hits over 4.1 innings, walking one and striking out two. “It starts with me. I’d be the first one to say that I didn’t do my job,” Schlittler said. He also did not blame the defense or offense. “Really just disappointed in myself,” he told reporters in a postgame video on SNY X.
Chisholm threw the ball toward first, and it sailed past the first baseman. After the game, reporters asked Chisholm if he would make the same throw again. “Honestly, I’d probably still throw it. The play was trying to be made. I just feel like I could have probably tried to make an even better throw,” Chisholm said, according to an X post by ChrisKirschner. Fans reacted strongly, saying it seemed Chisholm lacked accountability for the throw and the subsequent loss.
TMZ Sports reports that the Rays’ Junior Caminero hit a ground ball that Yankees shortstop Lombardi threw to Chisholm, who then botched the throw to first baseman Luis Garcia.
Yankees Manager Aaron Boone talked about the team’s performance post-game. “A really rough night to say the least for us,” Boone said, according to SNY. “We’ve got to get over it. We’ve responded all year to difficult times and we’ve got to do it again.”
Stephen A. Smith, a lifelong Yankees fan, was disappointed in Boone and the team, according to First Take. “This is disgraceful,” Smith said.
Chisholm will become a free agent this winter, and analysts wonder if he’ll accept the Yankees’ offer to stay if they offer him a contract, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports. “He’ll likely reject the offer, though, and seek something closer to the nine-figure payday most analysts anticipated heading into this season,” Bleacher reporter Kerry Miller wrote. “And with George Lombard Jr., Anthony Volpe, and José Caballero all available for middle infield duties for the foreseeable future, New York likely won’t be the one giving him that mega deal.”