BOSTON — After stealing three bases in Friday’s 4-1 win over the Red Sox, the Yankees entered Saturday’s game with a major league-leading 51 swipes since July 30.
That’s the day Jazz Chisholm Jr. started stealing again after a nagging groin injury kept him from running much for 39 games. The Yankees acquired José Caballero from the Rays the very next day.
Chisholm leads all players with 20 bags since July 30. Caballero, who leads the majors overall with 46 stolen bases despite not being an everyday player for most of the season, has 13 steals over that stretch, which ranks third.
With Chisholm stealing two bases on Friday — he has 30 overall after getting caught on a third attempt — and Caballero adding another that led to a run, there was some friendly postgame debate over who is faster.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Chisholm said when asked if he thinks he’s quicker than Caballero, who was also a minor league teammate in the Diamondbacks’ system.
Caballero’s sprint speed (28.2 feet/second) is faster than Chisholm’s (27.7), but Aaron Boone said that he would pick the latter in a race on Saturday. However, Aaron Judge added, “I don’t think so,” when told of Chisholm’s confidence in a head-to-head matchup.
Based on sprint speed, Jasson Domínguez is the fastest Yankee at 28.6 feet/second. The outfielder, who has been rarely used in recent weeks, entered Saturday with 21 stolen bases.
Judge, who has 11 stolen bases himself, went on to say that the Yankees’ speed demons help others get better pitches to hit. Chisholm proudly made the same point.
“I feel like pitchers throw more fastballs when fast runners are on base,” he said. “And I feel like, for me, that might be the easiest pitch to hit in the game now. Guys are throwing 90-mph sliders and 93-mph changeups.
“To give my teammates more fastballs means I can help them out a little bit.”
Chisholm has been a dual threat, as he entered Saturday’s game just two homers shy of the 30-30 club. Only two Yankees are in that group: Bobby Bonds (32 HR, 30 SB in 1975) and Alfonso Soriano (39 HR, 41 SB in 2002 and 38 HR, 35 SB in 2003).
“It would mean a lot if we win the division with it,” Chisholm said of the feat with the Yankees three games behind Toronto in the American League East. “It would feel like I helped the team a lot and helped us win. But if we don’t win the division with it, it don’t mean as much as I would want it to mean in my heart.”
That Chisholm is on the precipice of a 30-30 season is remarkable, as the aforementioned stretch where he wasn’t stealing bases came shortly after he missed a month with an oblique injury.
With a month out of the lineup and more than two without stealing, it’s understandable that Chisholm thinks he can be a 40-40 player down the road.
“He probably feels like he could be more than that,” Boone joked, a nod to Chisholm’s ever-present belief in himself.
Caballero carries a similar sense of self-assurance, especially on the basepaths.
On Friday, the shortstop — starting in place of the aching and scuffling Anthony Volpe — hit a ground-rule double before stealing third. Then he raced home on a fielder’s choice, which led to a throwing error and helped the Yankees pad their lead with two runs in the seventh inning.
“He wreaks havoc on the bases,” Boone said. “He’s a little daring and makes you hold your breath sometimes, but he’s got a real good feel. He’s a really confident player.”
CASHMAN HYPES BELLINGER
On Friday, Brian Cashman declined to comment on Cody Bellinger’s long-term future, but he did call the outfielder (and occasional first baseman) “a hell of a player on both sides of the ball.”
“He’s been a positive addition,” the general manager said when asked about the former MVP. “He really has, so I’m glad we were able to run into him this offseason when we did. He’s really helped lengthen our lineup and improve our defense in a big way.”
Bellinger, who woke up with a .276/.333/.498 slash line, 24 doubles, five triples, 28 homers, 91 RBI and 11 stolen bases on Saturday, has a $25 million player option for 2026. The expectation is that he will opt out and become a free agent, but a reunion wouldn’t come as a surprise, as he has enjoyed his first season with the Yankees while fitting in seamlessly on and off the field.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
Friday’s win secured the Yankees’ 33rd consecutive season, the second-longest stretch in major league history. The Yankees own the longest streak as well, as they were above .500 for 39 straight seasons from 1926-1964.
No other franchise has made it past 18 straight winning seasons.
“It says we’re playing meaningful baseball year in and year out, and especially this time of year,” Boone said. “Obviously, our goal every year is to get to the postseason and go win a World Series, but the fact that there’s been that level of consistency, it’s a pretty remarkable feat. It’s a testament to a lot of people that have been a part of this organization.”
Of course, Yankees fans want a whole lot more than a record above .500. With the team championship-less since 2009, Boone is well aware.
He’s also on the same page.
“Don’t get it twisted,” he continued. “As much as we’re proud of [the streak], I don’t want the headline to be ‘Boone’s excited about the winning season.’ I get it. We’re in it to win it all.”
