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Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a lot on his plate in the third inning Sunday night, and it cost him.
Chisholm wore a microphone at the top of the third for an in-game interview with ESPN’s broadcast team while he manned the hot corner for the Yankees against the Red Sox.
He had to cut himself off while answering the announcers’ questions as Ceddanne Rafaela hit a chopping ground ball toward third base. Chisholm made a nice play on the ball, but his spinning throw to first went well up the line and allowed Rafaela to advance to second base.
“Damn it!” Chisholm shouted as his throw missed the mark.
ESPN often does in-game player interviews during its presentation of “Sunday Night Baseball,” which has been met with some criticism from many fans, as it feels like a distraction for the fielders who have a job to do.
And while the play was by no means an easy one, even without being mic’d up, Chisholm’s error certainly added some fuel to the anti-mid-game-interview crowd’s fire.
“Spin throw … Difficult play,” the broadcaster said to Chisholm after the error.
“Yeah, it’s alright,” New York’s third baseman replied.
Fortunately for Chisholm and the Yankees, Boston left Rafaela stranded after a groundout and a strikeout got New York out of the inning unscathed.
The Post reported in 2023 that players get paid up to $10,000 for on-field interviews during games.
Chisholm, who went 0-for-3 with a walk and a sac fly on Sunday night, has one of MLB’s most outgoing personalities and would seem a natural fit for moments like these.
“Just go at 70 percent,’’ Chisholm said about his new approach as he has had a hot start while returning from a strained oblique. “Play at 70 percent: offense [and] defense. Don’t overswing, don’t swing and miss as much.”
The Yankees went on to lose 11-7, giving the Red Sox two of three in the weekend series.
