"Maikel Garcia is a sore loser" - Jazz Chisholm Jr. alleges Royals third baseman intentionally tried to hurt Yankees teammate
Jazz Chisholm Jr. And the New York Yankees continued in their postseason journey after beating their division rivals, the Kansas City Royals, in ALDS Game 4 at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday.
The Yankees dashed the Royals' postseason hopes with a 3-1 win to clinch the division series. The game turned heated in the sixth inning when Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia was involved in an altercation with Yankees' Anthony Volpe at second base.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was also involved in the war of words, with both benches clearing as tensions escalated. Chisholm, after the game, expressed his frustration with Garcia's hard slide into second base, accusing him of trying to hurt Volpe.
“I just felt like [Garcia] tried to go injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser,” Chisholm said.
“He was talking a lot on Instagram and Twitter and stuff. I do the same thing, but I’m not going to try to go injure somebody if they’re winning a game and I didn’t like that. So I told him we don’t do that on this side. I’m always going to stick up for my guys.”
While Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn't appreciate Garcia's hard slide, Anthony Volpe didn't make much of it, saying the Royals player was simply trying to break up a double play.
“The stakes are high,” Volpe said. “Everyone’s playing hard, everyone’s trying to win. They’re playing for their season. He went in hard, but we’re always going to stand up."
Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the thick of things after controversial statement
Royals fans found a new villain in Jazz Chisholm Jr. after he claimed Kansas was "lucky" to win Game 2. When the series shifted to Kauffman Stadium for Game 3, the Yankees newcomer was met with boos from the crows. However, Chisholm reveled in the hate from the Royals fans.
“It gets my juices flowing, it gets me going,” Chisholm said. “I’m hearing the loud noises and everything is going in my head. I’ve never seen anybody boo a bum.”
After the Yankees clinched the division series, Chisholm Jr.'s teammates playfully booed him during the clubhouse celebration, imitating the Royals fans' reaction to their star.
The Yankees will be up against the winner of the ALDS Game 5 showdown between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers for the championship series.