In a milestone game, Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a memorable impact right from the start, as he hit a home run on the first pitch he encountered in his 500th Major League game. The New York Yankees emerged victorious, defeating the Athletics 3-0 on Friday night, marking the midpoint of their season.
Chisholm, who recently returned from an oblique injury on June 3, secured his fifth homer in just 21 games. He seized an opportunity in the second inning, hitting a cutter from A’s pitcher Mitch Spence into the second deck in right field, putting the Yankees on the scoreboard. After rounding third base, Chisholm celebrated with a shrug and a light-footed shuffle before triumphantly crossing home plate.
Over his career, Chisholm has achieved an impressive 89 home runs and 109 stolen bases since his debut with the Miami Marlins on September 1, 2020. Among his peers, only Eric Davis and former Yankee Alfonso Soriano have reached similar numbers, tallying 107 homers and 190 stolen bases, and 97 homers and 121 RBIs, respectively, within their first 500 career games.
Cody Bellinger and DJ LeMahieu added to the Yankees’ tally with RBI singles, pushing the Yankees to a 47-34 record, hinting at a potential 94-win season. Last year, by the midpoint, the Yankees were 52-29, and they concluded with 94 wins, ultimately reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009.
In his outing, New York’s rookie starter, Will Warren, overcame a challenging start by issuing three walks in the first inning. Despite this, Warren only allowed two hits over five innings. Yankee relievers were solid, with Devin Williams closing the game, securing his 11th save, and ensuring New York’s ninth shutout of the season.
Notably, Aaron Judge was intentionally walked for the 18th time this season during the third inning, preceding Bellinger’s single. Later, LeMahieu hit an infield single in the fourth inning after Paul Goldschmidt reached base following a catcher’s interference.
On the mound for the Athletics was Mitch Spence, a former Yankees minor league player, who permitted three runs and three hits over five innings of play. The loss marked the Athletics’ fifth defeat in six games and their sixth game this season without scoring.
A critical moment for Warren came when he finished a taxing 36-pitch first inning by striking out former Yankee Gio Urshela with a called third strike. Warren concluded his 100-pitch performance by stranding two runners in the fifth inning.
Statistically, Warren leads the major leagues with 39 strikeouts achieved on called third strikes. Next, the Athletics will have LHP JP Sears (5-7, 5.44 ERA) face off against Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (4-3, 2.84 ERA) on Saturday.