Feud between Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Royals' Maikel Garcia heats up
The Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. looks at his thumb after he injured it while stealing third in the sixth inning during a game against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: AP/Ed Zurga
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Much as the Yankees’ rivalry with the Red Sox is unlikely to ever again reach the heights it did in 2003 and ’04 when the clubs met in back-to-back seven-game October series with the American League pennant on the line, Yankees-Royals probably never will hit the heat index it did from 1976-80 when the clubs met four times with a World Series trip at stake.
As Royals Hall of Famer George Brett described that rivalry, before the teams met in the ALDS, to the media in Kansas City: “Hatred. Pure hatred. Hatred is probably the key word.”
Still, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Royals infielder Maikel Garcia are trying to do their part.
The always outspoken Chisholm twice earned the enmity of the Royals, and their fan base, during the Yankees’ four-game Division Series victory last postseason. The first was declaring that the Royals “got lucky” after a victory in Game 2 at the Stadium and the second came during the Yankees’ series-clinching win in Game 4 here at Kauffman Stadium when Chisholm and Garcia began jawing at each other after a close play at second base, causing the benches to empty.
That feud was reignited during the Yankees’ 10-2 victory Tuesday night on a play at third base. Chisholm, booed heartily by the crowd of 30,017 during pregame introductions and before each at-bat, stole third in the top of the sixth and ended up leaving the game an inning later after Garcia, who did not hold onto the ball, brought a hard tag down on Chisholm’s head that knocked off his helmet (his head subsequently connected with Garcia’s knee).
TV replays appeared to catch a shaken-up Chisholm, as he kneeled on the bag, saying: “If he tags me like that again, I’m [going to] smack the [expletive] outta him.”
Chisholm, speaking after Tuesday’s game, was still simmering.
“I just feel like every time we have a problem, it’s always been him,” Chisholm, who was back in the lineup on Wednesday, said of Garcia. “That’s the only reason I was so frustrated. And then to even see that he didn’t have the ball for the way he tagged me, I didn’t like it.”
Garcia, informed in the Royals clubhouse of Chisholm’s on-field comment that he would “smack” him in the case of a similar tag occurring, all but dismissed it.
“I’m waiting for it,” Garcia said, according to MLB.com. “It’s just talk.”
As for the tag, Garcia said he was “just trying to do” his job.
Before Wednesday night’s game, Aaron Boone, who played primarily at third during his 12-year career in the majors, didn’t make too much of the kerfuffle.
“I understand, you kind of get smoked there and jarred,” Boone said. “It’s kind of a hard play or whatever, but it’s just in the moment competitiveness bubbling over.”
Chisholm, who smiles more often than not during his gatherings with the media, was not doing so in discussing that play. He was, however, wearing a big grin in talking about his continued status as Yankees’ villain No. 1 in Kansas City (which began in Game 3 here last October).
"I still like it [being the villain],” Chisholm said. “I went up to home plate today and I told [Freddy] Fermin, ‘I kind of like it.’ I'm not at home, so I don't expect to get [cheered]. I would rather walk up to something, you know, instead of walking up to no noise at all. I feel like on the road, when road hitters come up and there's nothing going on, I feel like it's just bland. Go ahead and boo me, you’re giving me some music at least to walk up to.”
Extra bases
Marcus Stroman, on the IL since April 12 with left knee inflammation, allowed one run, one hit and two walks over 3 1/3 innings in which he struck out four Wednesday afternoon as he began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. Giancarlo Stanton (tendon tears in both elbows), playing his second rehab game with Somerset Wednesday, went 1-for-4 with an RBI double after going 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs on Tuesday. Stanton is likely to return to the Yankees within the next week.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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