Tempers flared at Yankee Stadium during Game 4 of the American League Division Series between Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s New York Yankees and Maikel Garcia’s Kansas City Royals. An aggressive slide and a strong tag triggered an incident that cleared the benches of both teams during 2024 MLB Playoffs.
In the sixth inning, with the game tied, Maikel Garcia singled to lead off the inning. Then, Michael Massey grounded out to first. Jon Berti fielded the ball, stepped on the base, and threw to Anthony Volpe at second to complete the double play. Garcia slid hard into the base, hitting Volpe’s glove, who responded with a firm tag with his right arm at the moment of the slide.
This led to an immediate confrontation between the players, with both benches clearing. As Garcia headed to the dugout, he exchanged words with Volpe, prompting several New York Yankees teammates, including Jazz Chisholm Jr., to come to the defense of their shortstop. Fortunately, the situation de-escalated quickly without any punches thrown or ejections.
After the game, Chisholm expressed frustration with Garcia’s slide. “I just felt like he tried to go in and injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser. You know what I mean?” Chisholm told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “He was talking a lot on Instagram and Twitter and stuff. I do the same thing, but I’m not going to injure somebody just because they’re winning a game. I didn’t like that. I told him we don’t do that on this side, and I’m going to stick up for my guys.”
Chisholm stands up for his Yankees teammate
While both players had been engaging in social media banter, Chisholm believes Garcia’s actions crossed the line of fair play. The Yankees, meanwhile, backed up his words with their performance on the field, winning both road games and advancing to the American League Championship Series (ALCS).