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Inside The Pinstripes

Jake Peavy's Bizarre Rant on Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. Lollipop Drama Felt Uncalled For

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has always been a lightning rod and his lollipop seems to have broken people's brains.
Joseph Randazzo|
Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the target of an unnecessary rant from former MLB pitcher Jake Peavy.
Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the target of an unnecessary rant from former MLB pitcher Jake Peavy. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

Food-related scandals seem to linger around New York.

Mark Sanchez grabbed the world's attention when he ate a hot dog on the sidelines during a Jets game in 2009. He was forced to apologize. The reactions to Jazz Chisholm Jr. having a lollipop while the Yankees were down to the Tigers have somehow drawn an even stranger fury than that.

The lollipop has somehow become a source of contempt between fans and media alike, and during a recap of the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Tigers on Tuesday, MLB Network analyst and former pitcher Jake Peavy went off on Chisholm. For him, the lollipop represented a showing up of Chisholm's manager, Aaron Boone, and a general disrespect for the game, whatever that means.

"I got a problem with that. Get out of here with that," Peavy said (h/t TNTSportsUS), between Curtis Granderson, Lauren Shehadi, and Pedro Martinez. "Stop. That's showing up your manager and showing that you're watching this social media and playing right into it in the biggest market. Stop that."

Shehadi then tried to say that the Yankees have been looking for a player with Chisholm's enthusiasm forever. Peavy got mad at that, too.

"That's showing up his manager," Peavy repeated. "His manager just said I'm not on this. You hit a home run the next day, and then go, hey, this is my power... I don't know... I like Jazz. This is nothing personal. It is just that behavior, I'm not for that behavior."

Needless to say, Peavy's rant towards the Yankees' second baseman was nothing short of uncalled for.

People need to touch grass after Jazz Chisholm Jr. lollipop drama

Shehadi offered up a meek "okay" as Peavy extended his rant on Chisholm's lollipop. All of this could have been avoided if Boone, who seems to defend the most abhorrent plays on the field and has an excuse for everything, didn't mention to "Talkin' Yanks" that he hated Chisholm's lollipop of all things.

Oh, yeah, that pisses me off. I didn't know about it until after the game. So he and I talked about that. That won't be going on.
Aaron Boone on Talkin' Yanks

Chisholm, who has had an up-and-down season, can breathe, and people will find a way to get mad. Boone, who uncharacteristically aired dirty laundry in public, should have known that this would have just put more of a target on his second baseman.

Chisholm and the lollipop are really just instances of the baseball world, and even his manager, needing to touch grass. It should have been something that was laughed off for a second and then forgotten the next day. It didn't need to be some two-day affair, and if anything, Chisholm hitting a huge two-run homer against the Tigers on Tuesday to help snap a losing streak should be celebrated.

The fact is, the lollipop wasn't that deep. Before Shehadi was railroaded by Peavy's harangue, she mentioned that this is the type of player the Yankees were looking for years, and she's right. Even Boone has changed his tune about "LollipopGate" after Chisholm's performance in the win.

"The lollipop kid came through tonight in a big way, so that was good," Boone said, via YES Network. "He can have all the lollipops he wants now. So, we're good. ... If the (lollipop) becomes a bit of a thing, as long as he doesn't take it out to second base with him, we're good."

The Yankees will always have an air of stuffiness, and Chisholm brings something different. Look, if one were to mention how poor he has hit with runners in scoring position, and just how disappointing he has been this season, that's one thing. Outside of that, he's not hurting anybody with the things he says or does. He has a general joy for the game and is a little different than the norm.

Different is fine. It should be celebrated. The baseball season is long. Not every inch of the play on the field has to be by the book.

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Joseph Randazzo
JOSEPH RANDAZZO

Joe Randazzo is a reference librarian who lives on Long Island. When he’s not behind a desk offering assistance to his patrons, he writes about the Yankees for Yankees On SI. Follow him as @YankeeLibrarian on X and Instagram.

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