No-Cup Backlash
Jazz Chisholm Jr. Exits Yankees Game After Groin Injury Sparks Protective Cup Backlash
Key Points
The Yankees entered the Thursday game at 45–27 with a 9.5-game AL East lead, having won eight of their last nine (including four straight) before facing the White Sox.
At the time Chisholm left in the fourth, the game was tied 1–1; New York ultimately lost 5–1. Ryan McMahon homered in the third for the Yankees’ lone run, and later reliever Camilo Doval surrendered a first-pitch grand slam to former Yankee Andrew Benintendi in the eighth.
When Chisholm exited, Anthony Volpe pinch-hit mid at-bat and “worked a walk after drawing two balls,” while José Caballero took over at second base.
Online backlash included specific taunts about his cup choice, with one fan writing, “He just couldn’t decide, pre-game, which teammates cup he wanted to borrow,” while others criticized the Yankees for “continue[ing] to take Jazz Chisholm seriously” without one.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the Yankees' series finale against the Chicago White Sox in the fourth inning Thursday after fouling a pitch from Sean Burke directly into his groin. He collapsed and stayed down for several minutes while trainers attended to him on the field. Anthony Volpe stepped in mid-at-bat and drew a walk, but the Yankees lost 5–1 arcamax.com.
The exit quickly went viral — not just because of the injury itself, but because Chisholm was not wearing a protective cup. Fans flooded social media with criticism, questioning his professionalism. It was the second time in less than a week he had been struck in the same area, after a similar foul-ball hit during the Toronto Blue Jays series us.headtopics.com.
A Second Foul-Ball Hit in Less Than a Week
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Chisholm had already been nursing a groin injury from a foul-ball incident during the June 14–16 series against Toronto. "He's been a little beat up since that foul ball in Toronto," Boone said. "We thought he was over the hump, but today's impact in the same general area was significant" lancasteronline.com.
The repeat trauma raised questions inside and outside the organization. Medical experts warn that repeated hits to the same area raise the risk of hematoma and internal bruising. That type of injury could sideline a player for 7–10 days even without a fracture. Chisholm did not speak to reporters after the game news-gazette.com.
Benintendi Grand Slam Seals a Rough Yankees Afternoon
The Yankees entered Thursday at 45–27 with a 9.5-game AL East lead, having won eight of their last nine games. Ryan McMahon hit a solo home run in the third inning to give New York a 1–0 lead. The game was tied 1–1 when Chisholm exited arcamax.com.
Things fell apart in the eighth. Reliever Camilo Doval entered with the game still tied and gave up a first-pitch grand slam to Andrew Benintendi — a former Yankee. That put Chicago up 5–1, and the Yankees never recovered. José Caballero took over at second base after Chisholm's departure kdhnews.com.
No Cup, No Mercy: Fans Unload on Social Media
The revelation that Chisholm was not wearing a cup sparked swift backlash online. "How can you take baseball seriously when you won't even take your own health seriously?" one viral post read on X. Another mocked his fashion-forward reputation: "He just couldn't decide, pre-game, which teammates cup he wanted to borrow" us.headtopics.com.
The debate over protective cups is not new in MLB. Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre famously skipped the cup for years. He suffered a ruptured testicle in 2009 that required surgery. Many modern players avoid cups because they restrict lateral movement. But critics argue Chisholm's decision was reckless given his existing injury lancasteronline.com.
Yankees' AL East Lead Cushions the Blow — For Now
With a 9.5-game lead in the AL East, the Yankees can absorb a loss or two. But losing Chisholm's bat — which had been in strong recent form — could be a real problem. If he lands on the 10-day injured list, Caballero and Volpe would likely cover second base and third base duties news-gazette.com.
The Yankees fall to 45–28 after the loss. Boone has not given a clear timeline for Chisholm's return. The July trade deadline looms, and if the injury lingers, GM Brian Cashman may need to look for infield help sooner than planned arcamax.com.
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