The New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals Wednesday to maintain their half-game lead in the American League East. Aaron Judge delivered a clutch, go-ahead home run in the seventh inning that put the Yankees on top for good.
Judge is now second in MLB with seven homers on the season, which is not surprising for baseball’s best power hitter. But teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. is right behind Judge with six home runs in 2025, as he’s tapped into an unexpected element of his game.
Perhaps his new routine is responsible for the early season power surge. Chisholm has taken to biting assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler after hitting a home run, according to the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips on X. The unusual practice began in spring training.
When asked to explain the new tradition, Chisholm’s response was simple. “It’s just my love, man. I’m just showing love.” Roessler had a different explanation for the biting.
“He’s nuts.”
Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm champing at the bit in 2025
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Obviously both can be true. But whatever the reason, the biting ritual seems to be working. Chisholm has six homers, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored through 18 games this season. While he’s struggled at the plate, hitting .176 with a .273 on-base percentage, he’s had a knack for the long ball in 2025 with a .471 slugging percentage.
The Yankees landed Chisholm in a trade deadline deal with the Miami Marlins last season. He gamely took on the everyday third baseman job in New York and helped the team advance to the World Series. This season, manager Aaron Boone moved Chisholm to second base, where he primarily played over his first three seasons in the majors.
Chisholm offers an exciting power/speed combo. In 2024 he reached the 20/40 club for the first time in his career, belting 24 homers and stealing 40 bases. He’s up to 6/4 already this season.
In addition to biting his hitting coach, Chisholm has also courted controversy for his use of a Torpedo bat this year. He gave the gear a glowing review as he and the Yankees put on a historic power display early in the season. New York crushed a franchise-record nine home runs in a 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in March.
