Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. gets brutally honest on controversial call vs. Royals

The New York Yankees grinded out a hard-fought 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of their ALDS series, with Alex Verdugo driving in Jazz Chisholm Jr. to give the Yankees their one-run victory. A few plays before that, Chisholm found himself benefitting from a controversial call that ended up putting him in position to score on Verdugo's base hit.

In the bottom of the seventh, Chisholm led the inning off with a single, before he stole second base during Anthony Volpe's at-bat. Michael Massey's tag on Chisholm was very close, and while it was reviewed, he ultimately ended up being safe, and he scored moments later on Verdugo's big hit. When looking back on the play, Chisholm confidently declared that the umpires made the right call, and that he knew he was safe.

“I knew I was in there. That's what we were talking about at second base, actually. [Massey] was like, ‘I put down a good tag.' I said, ‘You did put down a good tag. That doesn't mean I'm out.'” – Jazz Chisholm Jr., ESPN

Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s steal may have saved the Yankees

All game long, New York and Kansas City were going back and forth, with Verdugo and Chisholm combining to win the game for the Yankees. If it weren't for Chisholm's big stolen base, he wouldn't have ended up scoring the game-winning run, so it's not a stretch to say that the talented outfielder saved the Yanks in Game 1.

The series is still young, but having a 1-0 advantage over KC could end up being the difference between winning the series or going home early. The call on Chisholm's stolen base may have been controversial, but he knows he was safe, and New York will be looking for him to continue making big plays throughout their postseason run.