New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm was ejected from Thursday night’s 6-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays (box score) after disagreeing with a strikeout call from home-plate umpire John Bacon. Chisholm (or whoever manages his social media account) didn’t wait long afterward to air his frustration on social media, tweeting out: “Not even [freaking] close!!!!!” about five minutes after being sent to the showers. He later deleted the message.
Here’s a look at the call in question. It occurred during the top of the seventh inning, with Chisholm sporting a full count versus left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery.
According to TruMedia’s data, that pitch had a called strike probability of 19.3%. (In the interest of fairness: Chisholm benefitted earlier in the at-bat, when he was awarded ball three on a pitch that had a called strike probability of 92.6%.)
After the game, Chisholm told reporters that he didn’t feel anything he said before being ejected merited the punishment, though he conceded what he said after likely did. Chisholm also said that while he remained upset that Bacon missed the call, he was mad at himself for losing his cool.
“I’m a competitor, so when I go out there and I feel like I’m right and you’re saying something to me that I think doesn’t make sense, I’m going to get fired up and be upset,” Chisholm said. “I lost my emotions, I lost my cool. At the same time, I still got to be able to stay out there and play defense for my team. That’s why I’m here. I got to be better in that aspect of helping my team.”
As New York Daily News beat writer Gary Phillips pointed out, Chisholm’s tweet would appear to violate the MLB Players Association’s social media policy. Said policy can be viewed here in its 2023 form. Notably, it forbids players from using electronic devices during games and/or “displaying or transmitting Content that questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a Major League umpire.” Chisholm’s post certainly seems to fit the bill.
Chisholm, 27, entered Thursday hitting .176/.273/.471 (112 OPS+) with six home runs and four stolen bases. His contributions have been worth an estimated 1.0 Win Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Obtained in a trade last summer with the Miami Marlins, Chisholm is a former All-Star who has averaged 3.2 WAR per 162 games for his career, making him a well-above-average player capable of contributing both power and speed.
The Yankees, following Thursday’s win, are now 12-7 on the young season. With the Toronto Blue Jays enjoying a day off, the Yankees have now extended their lead in the American League East to a full game.
