Chisholm call goes Yankees' way, befuddling Royals in Game 1 - ESPN

NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. stood at first base in the seventh inning of the New York Yankees' 6-5 win Saturday night, reading the game in front of him, calculating whether there was a chance for him to swipe second.

He represented the winning run in the Yankees' seesaw clash against the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Reaching scoring position was paramount.

Finally, with Anthony Volpe in a full count against Michael Lorenzen, he let first-base coach Travis Chapman know it was time.

«Hey, I might go here,» Chisholm told Chapman. «He might bury one now.»

Sure enough, Chisholm dashed for second as Lorenzen buried a sweeper in the dirt to strike out Volpe. He got a poor jump, but Royals catcher Salvador Pérez's throw sailed, forcing second baseman Michael Massey to leap to make the catch before applying an acrobatic tag.

Chisholm's left foot just beat Massey's glove — or so second-base umpire Lance Barrett ruled. The Royals challenged the call.

One replay angle showed Massey's glove might have touched Chisholm's foot with a sliver of space between him and the bag, making for a suspenseful break in the action. But the call stood to keep the scoring threat alive.

Two batters later Alex Verdugo capitalized, slashing a line drive to left field to score the speedy Chisholm, who nearly collided with umpire Adam Hamari after crossing the plate to give the Yankees the lead for good.

«I knew I was in there,» Chisholm said of the bang-bang play at second base. «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.'»

Royals manager Matt Quatraro saw it differently after looking at