What led to Yankees-Royals’ benches-clearing melee: ‘Tried to injure’
By Greg Joyce,
5 hours ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jazz Chisholm Jr. put himself in the crosshairs of the ALDS by saying the Royals got “lucky” in their Game 2 win and insisting the Yankees would still win the series.
And when tempers flared in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ clinching Game 4 win over the Royals, Chisholm didn’t back down .
Jazz Chisholm and Maikel Garcia are separated by an umpire after the benches cleared following Garcia’s hard slide on a double play in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 3-1 series-clinching win over the Royals in Game 4 of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Players from both benches spilled out onto the field after the slide. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were among the Yankees players stepping in between Volpe and Garcia. Jason Szenes / New York Post
As Garcia stood up and lingered at the bag, Volpe patted him on the back, but Chisholm came over and exchanged words with Garcia, which led to the dugouts and bullpens spilling onto the field.
“I just felt like [Garcia] tried to go injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser,” Chisholm said in the champagne-drenched Yankees clubhouse after a 3-1 win at Kauffman Stadium . “He was talking a lot on Instagram and Twitter and stuff. I do the same thing, but I’m not going to try to go injure somebody if they’re winning a game and I didn’t like that. So I told him we don’t do that on this side. I’m always going to stick up for my guys.”
After the Royals’ Game 2 win, Garcia had retweeted a video of Carlos Rodon being pumped up after striking out the side in the first inning and commented, “Don’t celebrate too early.” He also posted, “We don’t fear nobody.”
Volpe did not seem to have an issue with Garcia’s slide, which was trying to beat a throw from Jon Berti, who had started the double play by fielding a grounder and stepping on first.
The benches were cleared briefly, and no one was ejected. Jason Szenes / New York Post Aaron Boone joked after the game that the altercation couldn’t compare to Yankees-Royals games of yesteryear. Jason Szenes / New York Post
“The stakes are high,” Volpe said. “Everyone’s playing hard, everyone’s trying to win. They’re playing for their season. He went in hard, but we’re always going to stand up.
“No. I’m going in hard to the base, he’s trying to make something happen because they didn’t have much going on. That’s what happens when everyone’s playing hard.”
During the skirmish, Gerrit Cole walked toward Garcia before catcher Austin Wells intercepted him and held him back.
“I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t like him coming after my shortstop,” Cole said. “I just wanted to get in front of him.”
Manager Aaron Boone said he did not know what everyone was mad about, but indicated it paled in comparison to the Yankees-Royals rivalry of old.
“If there was some kind of upset over the slide or whatever, we just go back and show a little Hal McRae and Willie Randolph and we’ll all laugh at ourselves,” Boone said.
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