You know you’ve made it big time when you’re asked to be a guest on one of the major talk shows in the United States.
Bahamian professional baseball player with the New York Yankees Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. used his off day on Monday making a national TV appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon at Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, New York.
The Yankees’ star second baseman is one of the more charismatic players in Major League Baseball (MLB), endearing himself among fans around the league, and he used that appeal on Monday to further project himself and his image in a positive light.
Chisholm spoke on everything from his fashionable statements on and off the field, family structure and the effect it has had on his life, his play on the field, and charitable works through his foundation.
It was reported that Chisholm drew attention to himself in May after some unconventional methods of breaking out of a hitting slump, inclusive of wearing Giancarlo Stanton’s baggy, uniform pants or utilizing José Caballero’s bat. However, Chisholm said on Monday that the former was more so out of convenience, and he appreciates the support from his teammates.
“Let me use your pants today. I can’t find the pants I’m looking for,” Chisholm recalled about his conversation with Stanton, who is currently working himself back from a right calf strain. “It was at the last second… I was like ‘Giancarlo, I need your pants’,” added Chisholm.
At the time of the gesture, Chisholm had a breakthrough moment. It was a turning point in his season. He went on to have four straight multi-hit games and six out of eight, and hit .419 over that span, raising his batting average by 36 points.
Chisholm was one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters in May, and for the season he is up to .239 with six home runs, 20 RBIs (runs batted in) and 25 runs scored. He was in action last night as the Yankees began a three-game set with the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, but the result of that game, and statistics, were unavailable up to press time.
About being one of the few Jordan brand MLB athletes, Chisholm spoke about his interaction with Michael Jordan as a young baseball player. With Jordan taking part in a celebrity softball game in The Bahamas, Chisholm spotted him and said he tried to approach the sports icon for an autograph, and was turned down. Instead, Jordan asked to one day have Chisholm’s autograph.
“Make me want your autograph one day, kid,” Jordan said to Chisholm. Chisholm said he always wanted to be a Jordan athlete after that, specifically so he could show that he lived up to the challenge of becoming a major professional athlete.
Also on Monday, Chisholm spoke about the effect his grandmother had on his life with her playing softball in The Bahamas and his charitable work through the Jazz Chisholm Jr. Foundation. The Bahamian star talked about starting his foundation as a means to give back to youngsters in a similar position as himself when he was younger, recalling times when people supported him.
After a moderate start offensively, Chisholm and the Yankees have broken out in recent times.
The Yankees scored a season-high 15 runs, on a whopping 24 hits, in a 15-1 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, last week Tuesday. On Sunday, they erupted for 13 runs and 11 hits in one inning against the Athletics, and went on to win 13-8.
Going into last night’s game, the Yankees had won six of seven games. They continue to lead the league in home runs.
The 15 runs scored last Tuesday matched the most for the team since a 20-run outburst against the Milwaukee Brewers in their first series of the year last season, and the 24 hits were their highest single-game hit tally in 15 years. For the first time in Yankees’ franchise history, every single starter in the lineup recorded at least two hits in that game.
Chisholm, 28, had his best month of the season in May, particularly catching fire from May 15 onward. He continues to be one of the athletes to lead the charge for the Yankees as they look to improve on last year’s finish when they were ousted in the American League Division Series (ALDS) of MLB by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Going into last night’s game, the Yankees had a 36-23 win/loss record — one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays (36-21) for first place in the American League East Division of MLB.
