Jazz session: Chisholm has bragging rights over Judge in `home runs plus stolen bases'

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NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. was jazzed up: He tied New York Yankees teammate Aaron Judge for the major league home run lead and was going to assert some bragging rights.

“I've got to go talk to him right now,” Chisholm said Monday night after sparking a comeback with the first of four solo home runs off All-Star Seth Lugo in a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.

“I think I’m beating him right now, right? Stolen bases,” Chisholm said. “You've got to add both. You know how they say OPS is, what, on-base plus slug? Home runs plus stolen bases.”

Chisholm and Judge have six home runs each along with the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Tommy Edman, Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber and the Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom.

Chisholm has four stolen bases while Judge has two. Chisholm has joked about trying to keep up with Judge, who set an American League record with 62 homers in 2022, then hit 58 last year as the Yankees won their first AL pennant since 2009. Chisholm even borrowed a bat from Judge last year and homered off Philadelphia's Garrett Stubbs, a catcher pitching a mop-up inning.

“I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year,” Judge said playfully after swiping a base two weeks ago.

Chisholm tied the score in the fourth, an inning after Bobby Witt Jr.’s home run against Carlos Carrasco on the 10th pitch of his at-bat put Kansas City ahead.

Trent Grisham, Ben Rice and Austin Wells each hit a solo home run in the fifth off Lugo, who allowed four homers in a game for the second time in his big league career.

All four Yankees homers were by left-handed hitters: on a changeup, cutter and a pair of fastballs. Lugo mixed nine different pitches, also throwing curveballs, slow curves, sinkers, sliders, slurves, splitters and one sweeper.

“I thought I threw the ball all right. I thought I changed speeds pretty well,” Lugo said. “I made a couple mistakes and they didn't miss them.”

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