Giancarlo Stanton said on May 21 that he is supportive of Jazz Chisholm Jr. wearing his pants during games, as Chisholm continues to look for ways to break out of a hitting slump.
Baseball players are known for trying unusual tactics to improve their performance, and Chisholm has recently started borrowing teammates’ clothing in hopes of better results at the plate.
Chisholm, who stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs 184 pounds, began wearing the pants of Stanton—who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds—last Friday when his batting average was .203. Since then, Chisholm went 3-for-4 on Saturday and followed up with four consecutive multi-hit games. He previously tried a similar approach with Trent Grisham’s pants earlier in the season.
Stanton, currently rehabbing a right calf strain, said he approves of the arrangement: “I think it’s great. It’s definitely cool, especially since he’s been raking in them, so I think it’s gonna stay.” Stanton added: “They’ve got homers in them.”
Chisholm hit a go-ahead two-run home run against the Blue Jays on Monday—the first since May 5 for the Yankees’ second baseman—and credits part of his success to adopting this new wardrobe choice. When asked if he would consider wearing Chisholm’s pants after returning from injury, Stanton replied: “We might work on it, see what we can do.”
Chisholm commented about finding Stanton’s pants: “I found Big G’s pants in the back. They’re a little bit bigger, but it doesn’t matter the size. It’s more of the look for me.”
As both players continue with their routines and recovery efforts respectively, teammates say they are open to experimenting with anything that could help boost performance.
