One "unlucky'' foul ball won't make Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. change
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK – Instantly on Thursday night, Yankees Universe learned – for better or worse – that Jazz Chisholm Jr. was not wearing an athletic supporter.
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After exiting Thursday night’s game when Chisholm’s foul ball bounced and struck him in a sensitive area, the lefty-hitting second baseman was back in the Yankees’ lineup Friday.
Despite experiencing pain that registered “a million’’ on his threshold scale, Chisholm said his anti-supporter stance remained.
“I never wore a cup…I’ve never had reason to wear one (before),’’ Chisholm said prior to Friday night’s series opener at Yankee Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds, calling Thursday's play "just an unlucky'' occurrence.
“It was mandatory in the minor leagues, and I still never wore it,’’ said Chisholm. “Just not a cup guy.’’
You know who is? Aaron Boone.
“In December, going to hit soft toss, I put a cup on,’’ said Boone, a big-league third baseman from 1997-2009.
“That’s the difference between this generation and my generation,’’ said Boone. “I did nothing without a cup on a baseball field.’’
They could be jogging out to take an on-field team photo, Boone said, and he’d instinctively put on a cup.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s unique take
By the end of Thursday night’s 5-1 loss to the White Sox, Boone felt reassured that Chisholm – who received a lot of ice treatment – would be good to go Friday.
Though there was some chuckling in the dugout, Chisholm said he received minimum grief from his teammates.
“They were just asking me how (it) felt,’’ said Chisholm, who left his at-bat in a 2-2 count and was replaced by Anthony Volpe, who drew a walk.
During a lengthy on-field delay, with Chisholm writhing on the ground, Boone inevitably blew a bubble gum bubble that – caught on camera – turned into another somewhat humorous aside.
“It wasn’t meant as disrespect to Jazz and the pain he was experiencing,’’ said Boone, waiting while the trainers administered to his second baseman.
During his playing days, Boone recalled gasping at future Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre’s admission that he never wore an athletic supporter.
“See? He trusts his hands,’’ said Chisholm, upon hearing the Beltre story. “That’s the first place you’ve got to protect.
“If you don’t trust your hands, I’d recommend you wear a cup,’’ said Chisholm. “I feel like it’s more defensively that you would wear a cup than hitting.’’
It’s a different take these days, said Boone.
“They play on some pretty nice fields,’’ said the manager, adding that “I don’t wear a cup anymore.’’
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: One "unlucky'' foul ball won't make Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. change