The New York Yankees might be on a seven-game winning streak, but a glaring weakness is infuriating the fanbase and broadcast booth alike. The team is one of the league’s worst at challenging calls, and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is becoming the poster child for this bizarre struggle.
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After Daikin Park’s jumbotron showed the strike, Michael Kay remarked, “Right down the middle. And the crowd mocks him with boos.”
David Cone responded, “That’s the beauty of the challenge system, you get humbled. That’s right down the middle.”
Until last week, Chisholm had four failed reviews out of his five calls. On Friday, he added another to the list, leaving the Yankees broadcasters and fans angry.
It was in the ninth inning, Astros’ Bryan Abreu’s four-seamer hit perfectly in the middle of the strike zone. Chisholm didn’t swing, and the umpire called it a strike. But Chisholm was confident and tapped his helmet, asking for a review.
The Yankees’ broadcasting booth wondered what made Chisholm take the review.
“Maybe he was hoping for a computer malfunction,” Kay joked about Chisholm’s review.
Yankees booth destroys Jazz for this awful ABS challenge: Kay: “Right down the middle. And the crowd mocks him with boos.” Cone: “That’s the beauty of the challenge system, you get humbled. That’s right down the middle.” Kay: “Maybe he was hoping for a computer malfunction.”
Jazz Chisholm with a horrendous challenge
Even Chisholm admitted his mistake later.
“You just gotta laugh at that point.”
Misjudging a routine 93 mph pitch and calling for a review was bizarre. And with such calls, the Yankees’ poor run with the ABS continues.
So far, the Yankees have challenged 37 calls and won only 16: a poor 43% winning rate.
Jose Caballero, with his break-even record of five successful and five failed reviews, exemplifies the team’s difficulties with the challenge system. But Chisholm’s case is more dire, as he is only piling up botched calls, a problem that was on full display in a game against the Rays.
The Yankees burned all their challenges before the fifth inning – including one from Chisholm.
“Not very good ones,” Aaron Boone said back then.
Chisholm was also involved in a final play mishap in a game against the Rays. He later admitted he had misunderstood basic MLB rules, which contributed to the loss. Fans are also unhappy with Chisholm’s botched plays and wonder whether this will end or if the Yankees will stop playing him.
Fans call out Jazz Chisholm
“Clearly not seeing the ball well, which explains his struggles,” one fan noted. That observation gets to the heart of the issue. The pitch from Abreu wasn’t borderline; it was a routine fastball down the middle, raising questions about whether Chisholm’s struggles are mechanical or purely related to his pitch recognition.
Chisholm currently has a strikeout percentage of 30.0 this season, which explains a lot.
“The fact that he thinks this is a ball explains why he’s hitting .213,” another added. Chisholm started slow this year, slashing .186/.255/.256 through his first 12 games. And as he targets a 50-homer season in 2026, fans wonder if Chisholm’s misjudgment could let him achieve that.
“On pace for 50 home runs,” a user sarcastically said.
While Chisholm’s mental mistakes are piling up, his performance on Friday—where he hit for 3 runs and a home run—shows the dilemma the Yankees face: balancing his game-changing talent with his costly lapses in judgment.
“Broken and low IQ,” another user added. That frustration stems from a pattern of high-profile gaffes. Like in a game against the Rays, Chisholm could turn a double-play involving Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda. However, he failed to field a ball, granting the winning run to the Rays.
This was a classic example of a brain cramp for a player.
“Yet the Stankees are still playing him every day. Dude has no IQ.” Just as manager Aaron Boone defended Anthony Volpe throughout 2025, he is doing the same with Jazz.
For now, Chisholm remains in the lineup, leaving the Yankees to hope his bat can make up for the mistakes that leave fans and broadcasters wondering what he’s seeing.
