Aaron Judge’s six-word pep talk reignited Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm | Klapisch

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NEW YORK — There’s a moment when a Jazz Chisholm home run clears the wall that tells us so much about who he is.


Standing at home plate, he raises his arms and watches the flight of the ball as he celebrates the home run. But mostly, he feels the love from the stands.


That’s his fuel.


Chisholm has alternately driven the Yankees crazy — and propelled them forward as they search for a stud in the middle of the order.


Aaron Judge remains on the injured list, nursing a fractured rib. Cody Bellinger has yet to assert himself. Paul Goldschmidt looks every minute of his 38-plus years.


That leaves Ben Rice, and he needs a wingman.


Can Chisholm be that guy? He’s hit three home runs in the last two games (wins) — just when the Yankees needed them most. Chisholm is not Judge, but he’s otherwise the Yankees’ best all-around athlete and their best hope to re-ignite the offense while Judge recovers.


The problem is unlocking Chisholm’s massive talent. He admitted, “I’ve sucked all season,” as his average sits at .228.


Scouts who are critical of Chisholm say he’s a classic underachiever — moody and undisciplined. One talent evaluator told me, “Jazz is the kind of player who can get a manager fired.”


Pressuring Chisholm doesn’t work. Don Mattingly, his manager in Miami from 2020-22, and Derek Jeter, a part-owner, tried to talk sense into Chisholm. He just tuned them out.


Yankees manager Aaron Boone has tried his own version of the tough-love approach with uneven results. Chisholm even tried motivating himself in spring training, declaring his goal was a 50-homer, 50-steal season.


Currently at 16 home runs and 26 steals, he won’t even come close.


But the glimpses of Chisholm’s potential are just breathtaking. On Monday, he hit two home runs against Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft, leading the Yankees to an 8-5 victory. Both blasts were majestic, towering so high that Chisholm had time to admire them from home plate.


Chisholm later explained that it was his teammates who rescued him from a period of self-doubt. Given the choice between scolding Chisholm and encouraging him, the Yankees chose the latter.


“Confidence … is the biggest tool I’ve got,” Chisholm said. “They see me dragging a little bit lately, so they’re like, ‘Bro, let’s not forget who you are. You’re the greatest in the world. You’re Jazz Chisholm.’”


The words came straight from Judge, who serves as the Yankees’ in-house Dr. Phil. The Captain is at least a month away from coming off the injured list, so he’s turned Chisholm into his pet project.


It’s a critical endeavor. The Yankees are just 1.5 games behind the first-place Rays, but they can’t ignore the Red Sox, who’ve won an astounding 14 games in a row.


Boston is just 4.5 games behind the Yankees, who are in the middle of a 22-game stretch against teams that are over .500. All of those opponents would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.


The Yankees can’t afford to wait for Judge. They need general manager Brian Cashman to work a little magic at the trade deadline. And they need a spark from their own clubhouse.


On Monday, the production came from the Yankees’ two most colorful players.


Chisholm used his bat, and Jose Caballero got inside the Pirates’ heads with his pitch-clock manipulation. The tough utility player provoked the Pirates into a bench-clearing incident in the eighth inning.


Following an inning-ending double play, Pirates reliever Dennis Santana berated Caballero, incensed that he had stalled until there were only eight seconds left on the pitch clock. Only then did he make eye contact.


Santana charged Caballero and had to be held back. No punches were thrown, but Caballero enjoyed every minute of the Pirates’ rage.


“If you get frustrated, I’m winning,” Caballero said. “For me, it’s a battle in the box. I’m trying to win the battle. If you’re not concentrating 100 percent, I think I’m winning.


“The whole league should know who I am, what I do at the box, and they should be aware of it.”


The Yankees desperately needed that emotional jolt after what happened against the Dodgers over the weekend. In going 1-2, they scored five runs in three games and realized how overmatched they’d be against MLB’s best team in a seven-game series.


Who knows, maybe these last two nights can be parlayed into a sprint to October.


“There’s still two and a half months

— there’s a lot that can happen in two and a half months, especially on a baseball field,” Chisholm said.


“So for me, I feel like it’s more than enough time to just flip the whole season around.”


Chisholm is right; nothing is impossible if he follows the instruction manual.


Step One: Get in the batter’s box.


MORE BY BOB KLAPISCH


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Step Two: Take a deep breath that stretches the lining of the lungs.


Step Three: Play the tape.


“I’m the greatest in the world.”


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