Chisholm Jr. finds stability with Judge’s bat in Yankees victory

New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. altered his equipment strategy during a match against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, switching to Aaron Judge’s bat to break a hitless streak. After failing to record a hit in his first three plate appearances, Chisholm selected Judge’s 35-inch, 33-ounce bat from the rack. He immediately applied the change, hitting the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run to deep right-center field. The hit helped secure a 6-1 victory for the Yankees.

Chisholm described the adjustment as a necessary correction to his swing mechanics. “I was swinging and missing when I thought I was hitting the ball,” Chisholm said. “Sometimes you just need a little more weight and a little less on your swing.” The home run marked his eighth of the season and effectively put the game out of reach for the Red Sox.

The decision to use Judge’s heavier equipment was informed by a previous injury. Chisholm had previously homered with the bat during his second game as a Yankee but tore his right oblique muscle in April after swinging too hard with the heavier lumber. This time, he adopted a more controlled approach to avoid a similar physical setback.

“When I pick up his bat I know I can’t swing as hard as I can, or else I’ll tear an oblique like last year,” Chisholm explained. “It helps to be able to just control the barrel, and just try to touch the ball instead of trying to hit it so hard.”

Chisholm has experimented with bats from various teammates, though he excludes Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton, finding the latter’s bat too difficult to swing. In a separate attempt to break a hitting slump late last month, he wore Stanton’s injured pants. Following Sunday’s performance, Chisholm is hitting .306 with 11 RBIs and a .918 OPS over his last 19 games.