The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER enjoying what many consider to be a “batter’s delight” on Monday night, Bahamian professional baseball player Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr cooled down as his Miami Marlins had their two-game winning streak snapped in back-to-back nights last night in Major League Baseball.

The Marlins, out of next month’s playoff picture, were riding a two-game winning streak that included a 8-7 nipping of the Washington Nationals in 10 innings. But last night, the Nationals didn’t leave anything for chance in extra innings as they pulled off a 7-1 victory in the second of their three-game series at the LoanDepot Park, formerly the Marlins Park, in Miami, Florida.

The 23-year-old Chisholm Jr, batting sixth in Miami’s line-up last night, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strike out. The Marlins’ only run came in the fifth inning on a solo homer from Nick Fortes to left field for a 1-0 lead.

The Nationals scored four runs in the sixth and three in the ninth.

On Monday night, Chisholm Jr ripped a pair of home runs and scored his third run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the tenth in the Marlins’ 8-7 win over Washington. Chisholm Jr got his third and final run after he was awarded second base as their automatic runner to start the bottom of the inning.

Washington’s relief pitcher Sam Clay intentionally walked Jesus Sanchez to face Lewis Brinson. After stealing third base, Chisholm Jr raced home as Clay threw a breaking pitch to Brinson that got away from catcher Keibert Ruiz.

“It’s exciting. I love being on base with those opportunities where I can run and go hard,” Chisholm Jr said. “As soon as they told me I was on second base, I was so excited to go out there.”

Earlier in the game, Chisholm Jr broke the Marlins’ scoring drought with a solo homer in the third for a 3-1 deficit. That was followed by a two-run shot by Sanchez to even the score.

Chisholm Jr came back in the fifth with another blast over the right-centre field wall as he ended the game with his 16th and 17th homers for the season.

The Marlins will close out the series against the Nationals today, starting at 6:40pm at home. They are then scheduled to hit the road for a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays from September 24-26 and then a four-game series with New York Nets from September 28-30, including a double header on September 28.

They will return home to complete their regular season against the Philadelphia Phillies from October 1-3. The Marlins are sporting a 64-87 win-loss record for fourth place in the National League’s eastern conference.

This is Chisholm Jr’s second season in the Majors, becoming just the seventh Bahamian to crack the big leagues when he was added to the Marlins’ roster in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic that affected some of the Marlins’ players. During the course of the season, Chisholm Jr shared playing time between second base and shortstop.

As an ambidextrous player who bats from the left side and throws with his right arm, he was so impressive that he remained on the roster for 2021 season where he’s now averaging .252 at the plate in more than 420 at-bats with 106 hits, 17 homers, 49 runs batted in and 67 runs scored with 22 stolen bases.