Jazz Chisholm’s acrobatic defense lifts Yankees in 10-5 win over Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the standout defensive moments for the New York Yankees, and his team rolled to a 10-5 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday night. The play of the night came in the fourth inning when Brooks Lee lined a ground ball to Chisholm’s right side. He backhanded it on the run, popped up facing center field, then contorted himself to throw across his body for a one-hop out to Paul Goldschmidt at first base. "I slid and tried to get up and turn the other way and realized I wasn’t the right way," Chisholm said through an interpreter. "I just jumped and threw it the other way. It’s not really a describable play, it’s not something you practice, but I got it done." Yankees manager Aaron Boone laughed when asked to describe the can't-miss moment. "I don’t know what I was looking at, but it was really a great play." Gil certainly appreciated the help, too, as the Yankees rode his start to the wire-to-wire victory.

In the fifth inning, Chisholm again flashed his range, racing past second base to backhand a grounder up the middle from Byron Buxton. He recovered quickly and delivered a smooth throw to José Caballero for the force at second, another routine-looking play that energized a Yankee defense that has been buoyed by his athleticism all season. "I didn’t have any hits today, didn’t get on base but I feel like I helped a little bit on defense," Chisholm said. "I feel like I did kind of my job today."

Offensively, Jasson Domínguez contributed, too, despite dealing with a tooth infection that required a root canal procedure earlier in the week. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two steals and two runs credited to his night. Boon noted the brief health issue but said Domínguez showed no lingering effects in the late-season slate. "Wasn’t doing great there for a couple days," Boone said before the series finale. "[Tuesday] he kind of turned the corner, was available in an emergency situation. His work [Tuesday] was really good, so good to get him back in there today."

Domínguez started in left field, a move that allowed Boone to give Giancarlo Stanton a day off as New York preps for a four-game set with two left-handed starters in Baltimore. Anthony Volpe had started Tuesday and went 2-for-4 with a walk, and Caballero was back at shortstop on Wednesday and reached base once. "Cabby’s earned reps with the way he’s played," Boone said. "We go to Baltimore, we’ll have two lefties there. So good chance they’re both in there together in different spots."

The victory came amid a flurry of roster activity. In a separate transaction, the Yankees traded Low-A outfielder Marshall Toole to the Rays on Wednesday as the player to be named later in the Caballero deal, which also sent outfielder Everson Pereira to Tampa Bay. Toole, 22, was the Yankees’ 15th-round draft pick last year and posted a .305 average with a .885 OPS and 44 steals in 96 games with Low-A Tampa this season. The move clears a path for continued updates to the big-league bench and infield depth as the Yankees shift focus toward Baltimore and the remainder of September.

The Yankees now head to Baltimore for a four-game series against the Orioles, with Boone hinting at a lineup that could feature both left-handed starters in the same game, depending on matchups. Stanton’s down day provided a needed rest while keeping the offense capable of producing runs—an area where Wednesday’s offense did not disappoint, piling up 10 runs on 12 hits despite a late push from Minnesota. The defense, anchored by Chisholm, was the story of the night, providing the kind of spark that has kept New York competitive as it navigates a crowded postseason race. The team will look to carry the momentum into a stretch of important division games, where every reset could prove pivotal in what remains of the schedule.