"He played in L.A" - Jazz Chisholm Jr. praises Alex Verdugo with subtle dig at Angels after Yankees' ALDS opener

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the New York Yankees played out one of the most entertaining games of the postseason this year against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

The two teams, meeting for the first time in over four decades exchanged leads five times in the ALDS opener at Yankee Stadium, the most in any game in postseason history.

However, it was the Yankees who prevailed in a rollercoaster showdown, securing a 6-5 win in Game 1 of the division series. It was the former Los Angeles Dodgers man Alex Verdugo who came in clutch for the team with his go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. lauded his teammate for his big moment, aiming a sly dig at the other Los Angeles team, the Angels.

He said:

"He lives for this. He's played in big cities before. He played in Boston, he played in L.A., and I'm not talking about the Angels"

Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s steal surrounded in controversy after ALDS Game 1 win

The former Miami Marlins star, who has adopted a new position at third base for the New York Yankees since his move to the Bronx this year, was involved in a controversial call leading up to Verdugo's game-winning RBI single.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. stole second in the bottom of the seventh. However, replays seemed to indicate that Royals' Michael Massey made the tag before Chisholm Jr.'s foot touched the bag.

But the on-field call from the second-base umpire stayed and the decision came back to haunt the Royals as Chisholm Jr. scored the go-ahead run on Verdugo's RBI single.

“In the moment, I felt pretty convinced with the tag that I got,” Massey said. “I felt like I pointed right away. And then when I looked up at the board, there was the angle that I just went and watched where you could see the daylight between his heel and the corner of the bag. It’s frustrating, because the video I saw looked pretty convincing to me.”

Although the Royals will be discontent with the call, they have a chance to redeem themselves in Game 2 of the series on Monday.