Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ejected from a game against the Tampa Bay Rays for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire John Bacon. Following the ejection, Chisholm violated MLB rules by posting a critical message about the umpire on X (formerly Twitter), a post which he later deleted.
Chisholm's ejection stemmed from a disputed 3-2 pitch called a strike. He publicly expressed his disagreement on X, stating the call was 'not even f—ing close'. This action contravenes MLB's policy against players using electronic devices during games and criticizing umpires.
Despite acknowledging the potential violation, Chisholm showed little remorse, stating he 'did what he did'. The MLB is currently investigating the matter.
Chisholm's season has been inconsistent. While hitting home runs, he struggles with contact and his on-base percentage. He admits to his emotional reactions but also highlighted that this is something he has been working to improve.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, while acknowledging Chisholm's frustrations, expressed a preference for managing such situations himself rather than having players get involved in confrontations with umpires.
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ejected from Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning after arguing balls and strikes with home-plate umpire John Bacon.
Minutes later, Chisholm referred to the incident on his X account, writing, “Not even f—ing close!!!!!” in a since-deleted post.
MLB players are not allowed to use electronic devices during a game, so he could face disciplinary action. The MLB Players Association’s social media policy also states players cannot display or transmit content that “questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a Major League umpire.”
Chisholm confirmed after the Yankees’ 6-3 win that he tweeted “right away” from the clubhouse. “I don’t care” if it’s a potential violation, he said, later adding: “I did what I did. I could live up to my responsibilities.”
The league is looking into the matter, an MLB spokesperson said.
Chisholm believed a 3-2 pitch from Rays reliever Mason Montgomery was below the zone, but Bacon called the fastball a strike. Chisholm turned to Bacon and was captured by television cameras mouthing, “That was not close.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been ejected for arguing balls and strikes pic.twitter.com/eQcGyu2qqW
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 18, 2025
Yankees manager Aaron Boone ran from the visiting dugout to try to get in between Chisholm and Bacon after a few seconds of arguing, but he was too late. While Chisholm was walking away, Bacon tossed him from the game. The Yankees’ second baseman then threw his helmet before retreating to the clubhouse.
Chisholm has had an uneven start to the season. Six of his 12 hits have been home runs, but he has a .272 on-base percentage and ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts. The biggest issue plaguing Chisholm through 19 games is that he isn’t making enough contact on pitches in the zone; his 69.4 percent in-zone contact rate ranks fourth to last in MLB. Only Rafael Devers, Gabriel Arias and Matt Wallner are making less contact than Chisholm.
Chisholm was contrite about how he reacted to the call, saying: “I feel like a lot of stuff hasn’t been going my way, but that doesn’t give me the excuse to go out there and act like that. I have emotions. I know I’ve acted like that in the past, but that’s what I really worked on to the present now. Before last year, I think I had four ejections a year. I didn’t even have an ejection last year. That’s what I’ve been working on: trying to be patient, trying to be cool. Everybody makes mistakes. I get emotional about the game when I think I’m right.”
Boone was asked if Chisholm needs to find a better way to control his emotions.
“I’d like to be the one going there,” he said. “It happens every now and then. Hopefully, in the future, that’s me. I don’t love our players going, but I also understand how difficult that is to lay off a tough 3-2 pitch there. I understand there’s going to be some emotion there.”
(Photo: Tom Horak / Imagn Images)
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