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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Most hitters see a position player on the mound and salivate. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a different reaction Monday night.
The newest member of the New York Yankees was 0-for-4 in his career against position players when Philadelphia Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs took the ball in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Those struggles were on Chisholm’s mind. So, he told Aaron Judge he wanted to switch it up: He was going to either bat right-handed or use the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Judge’s bat — if Judge let him.
Judge gave him the green light to swing his lumber. Moments later, Chisholm blasted a 65.2 mph offering over the right-field wall for a two-run home run, putting the finishing touches on the Yankees’ 14-4 rout.
“Definitely not going to use that again,” Chisholm said with a smile. “That bat was so heavy.”
It was the exclamation point on a memorable night for Chisholm 48 whirlwind hours after the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins for three prospects. The homer was Chisholm’s second of the game and second as a Yankee. He supplied the production while playing third base for the first time in his professional career — at any level.
“I felt really comfortable at third,” Chisholm said. “Back in the infield, felt great. That’s where I feel like I deserve to be.”
Chisholm, 26, rose through the minors as a shortstop before the Marlins converted him to second base in his first three seasons as a major leaguer and to center field for the past two seasons.
He made his Yankees debut in center field Sunday night — barely, after arriving at Fenway Park just over an hour before first pitch. Chisholm’s first full pregame as a Yankee included extended time taking ground balls at third base before New York released its lineup with him there, batting sixth.
He was tested right away and passed, smoothly fielding a hard-hit grounder to start a 5-4-3 double play for Luis Gil‘s first two outs of the first inning. His action there ended in the ninth inning when he nearly made a backhanded highlight play down the third-base line, making the stop to rob Austin Hays of extra bases.
“You can tell he likes the action,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “And we throw third base at him — thought he was tremendous over there tonight.”
The Yankees made this series opener between the marquee clubs a blowout by roughing up Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. It started with Judge swatting the first of his two home runs, raising his league-leading total to 39. Chisholm and Ben Rice added solo shots in the second inning. Wheeler was eventually chased after surrendering seven runs on seven hits over five innings.
The explosion extended the Yankees’ recent offensive awakening: They’ve scored 40 runs in their past four games and won the past three.
Positive signs are everywhere. Austin Wells has been one of the most productive catchers in the majors over the past month. Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres seem to have turned a corner from their extensive struggles. And adding Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton, who returned from the injured list Monday after missing over a month, lengthens a lineup that has too often relied on Judge and Juan Soto to carry the load since the middle of June.
On Monday, Chisholm, after delivering an infield hit in his Yankees debut, gave the Yankees a whiff of his pop.
“It’s impressive,” Judge said. “It’s fun to watch. It’s electric. He’s excited to be here. He’s having fun. He’s definitely making a big impact so far.”
Chisholm has been, so far, the Yankees’ only acquisition in the frenetic few days around the majors leading up to Tuesday’s trade deadline. They’re still in the market for upgrades, namely in the bullpen, to a roster that had gone 10-23 before the current three-game winning streak. They have until 6 p.m. to add players. Judge is rooting for more.
“Other teams are making moves,” Judge said. “So, hopefully we’re still making moves too. We’ll see.”