Daily Report – 6/24/26
Yankees
The Jazz Chisholm Jr. lollipop saga has stolen the headlines in both Yankee Land and Candy Land. Was Chisholm behaving immaturely? Did he disrespect his manager? What do his actions suggest about the state of accountability in an Aaron Judge-free clubhouse?
After last night’s 4-3 win in Detroit, only one thing is clear: Lollipops are Chisholm’s gasoline. I am not saying lollipops energize him or improve his play. I am alluding to the fact that in yesterday’s sixth inning, the fans near home plate who taunted Chisholm about lollipops prompted his go-ahead two-run home run.
Chisholm was frustrated by the teasing, so he channeled his anger and thrust it 107.4 mph off his bat and 403 feet to right-center field. The home run put the Yankees in the lead, and it helped end a three-game losing streak that featured an 0-for-25 drought with runners in scoring position.
As dumb as it appears, the Yankees have one thing to thank for their first one-run victory in two weeks: A green apple-flavored Blow Pop.
“The ‘Lollipop Kid’ came through tonight in a big way,” said manager Aaron Boone, who expressed frustration at Chisholm’s candy antics in an interview with Jomboy Media yesterday. As he entered the dugout after his home run, Chisholm waved a box of lollipops at the television cameras. The motion felt disrespectful, yet Boone insisted, “He can have all the lollipops he wants now. We’re good now.”
Thankfully, this controversy is over. Now, we can laugh about it. After all, as Chisholm said, “I’m playing a kid’s game and having fun. […] I love lollipops. I like candy. I like something to distract me a little bit.”
With yesterday’s victory, the Yankees improved their record in one-run contests to 9-12. Since David Bednar’s blown save in the third game of the Subway Series on May 17, the Yankees have won six of eight one-run games. Bednar, who secured four outs to earn his 15th save last night, has permitted one run in 13 innings since his Citi Field disaster.
After a shaky start to the season, Bednar has brilliantly anchored the back end of the Yankees’ bullpen, which features Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz. According to Jomboy Media, Headrick’s 1.66 ERA in 38 innings ranks fifth among MLB pitchers with as many innings, including Louis Varland, Jacob Misiorowski, Shohei Ohtani, and Bryce Miller.
Also, Cruz ranks in the league’s 99th percentile in whiff rates (40.5%), hard-hit rates (22.7%), and expected batting averages against (.173). He has surrendered just two runs in nine appearances this month and four earned runs since May 1. In yesterday’s sixth inning, he stranded a baserunner, holding the Yankees’ one-run lead.
After five two-run innings, Carlos Rodón surrendered back-to-back doubles to start the bottom of the sixth inning, cutting his team’s lead to 4-3. In the top of the sixth, after Chisholm’s home run, Austin Wells doubled for the first time since April 7 and picked up his first RBI since May 26, ending an 0-for-18 stretch at the plate.
In the bottom of the sixth, with one out and a runner at second base, Cruz relieved Rodón. He struck out Spencer Torkelson, walked the pinch-hitter Kerry Carpenter, and forced Colt Keith to ground out. In the seventh inning, Brent Headrick permitted a one-out single to Ben Malgeri. Then, Kevin McGonigle nearly tied the game before meeting Jasson Domínguez.
After reaching his toes to shovel a sharp liner to right field, Domínguez fired the baseball to first base for a double play. It was the Yankees’ second outfield assist of the game — the first came in the fourth inning when Hao-Yu Lee singled to left field, and Riley Greene rounded third base, Cody Bellinger thrust a perfect throw to Wells at home plate.
“Obviously, I wanted to get a good beat on it, set my feet, and make a good throw,” Bellinger said. “It was a pretty good throw, but Wellsy did a great job of getting the ball and putting a quick tag on him.”
Headrick continued into the eighth inning before Bednar replaced him. He secured the final four outs, sealing his 15th save of the season. 20 minutes later, in his postgame interview, Chisholm explained why he was sucking a lollipop on the field in the first place.
“I was trying to bite through it. My teeth were not letting me get through it. It was like a brand new lollipop. So, I was trying to bite, bite, bite. By the time I got to bite it off, it was too late. It was already on TV. I normally cut off the stem.”
Tonight, at 6:40 PM, the shorthanded Yankees will battle the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner, LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02 ERA), as they seek a series win against the Tigers (Prime Video). Skubal’s three-peat Cy Young aspirations have been impacted by injury, but he remains the offseason’s top free agent.
Interestingly, several reports claim that if the Tigers were to release Skubal at the trade deadline, the Yankees would be all in. They do not need any more starting pitching, but acquiring Skubal would definitely boost their World Series odds. It would also come at a high cost, potentially including Ryan Weathers.
This means that tonight, there is pressure on LHP Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA) to show the Tigers he can pitch in Detroit. So, the Tigers will likely be aggressive out of the gate as they try to protect their ace and expose Weathers’s weaknesses to their front office.
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
DH Ben Rice (L)
RF Jasson Domínguez (S)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
3B José Caballero (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
CF Max Schuemann (R)
SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA)
In other Yankees news, Ryan McMahon landed on the 10-day injured list with a throat infection, so for the first time since May 12, 2025, Oswaldo Cabrera is back in pinstripes.
Schedule
6:40 PM: NYY at DET; Prime Video; SP: LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13 ERA) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
