“The lollipop kid came through tonight. He can have all the lollipops he wants now… as long as he doesn’t take it out to second base with him, we’re good.”
Aaron Boone has fully embraced Jazz Chisholm as the lollipop kid
(via @YESNetwork)
Getty
Aaron Boone’s comments on Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony draw attention ahead of Opening Day.
The New York Yankees arrived in Detroit on Tuesday carrying the weight of a three-game losing streak and the kind of internal tension that tends to surface when a team is not playing its best baseball. At 47-31, the record still looks strong. The recent stretch did not feel that way.
Monday night’s loss to the Tigers added a layer that had nothing to do with the score. Jazz Chisholm Jr. spent an inning at second base with a lollipop in his mouth, and the image traveled fast. By Tuesday morning, Aaron Boone had addressed it on a podcast, making clear that the moment did not sit well with him.
Then the game started. And Chisholm answered in the way that makes everything else easier to forgive.
Before first pitch, Boone tried to move past the situation. He had spoken with Chisholm privately and acknowledged to reporters that playing the field with candy was not something he wanted to see as part of what the Yankees were doing. The message was measured but firm. The optics were bad, and the manager wanted it known.
Then Chisholm stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with the Yankees trailing by a run. He connected for a two-run home run that gave New York the lead and shifted the entire energy of the night.
After the game, with music blasting through a celebratory clubhouse, Boone’s assessment had softened considerably.
“The Lollipop Kid came through tonight in a big way, so that was good,” Boone joked. “He can have all the lollipops he wants now.”
“The lollipop kid came through tonight. He can have all the lollipops he wants now… as long as he doesn’t take it out to second base with him, we’re good.”
Aaron Boone has fully embraced Jazz Chisholm as the lollipop kid
(via @YESNetwork)
The celebration told the whole story. Chisholm returned to the dugout after rounding the bases, found the candy stash on the bench, and held it up to the cameras with a grin. His teammates had been egging him on the entire time.
Chisholm later explained that Detroit fans had been needling him about the incident before his at-bat. The heckling found its way into his swing.
He maintained that he never viewed the original moment as a bad look, framing it instead as a safety concern rather than a professionalism issue. It was not the first time. Chisholm had done the same thing at Fenway Park back in April, stepping into the box mid-game with one in his mouth. For him, it is part of how he stays loose.
The home run was his 12th of the season. The theatrics that followed were pure Jazz. The two are not easily separated, and Tuesday suggested Boone has made peace with that reality.
GettyDETROIT, MI – JUNE 23: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on June 23, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
The homer was the headline, but the win required more than Chisholm’s swing. New York played its most complete game in nearly a week, combining timely offense with the kind of defense that had been absent during the losing streak.
Carlos Rodón pitched five and a third innings, allowing three runs. Cody Bellinger preserved a one-run deficit with a strong throw from left field to cut down a runner at the plate in the fourth. Jasson Dominguez made a diving grab on a sinking liner in the seventh and turned it into a double play. Rodón himself fielded a comebacker earlier in the game and erased a baserunner to end a threat.
Austin Wells added an RBI double that proved to be the winning run. David Bednar handled the ninth, recording the final four outs to preserve the lead.
The 4-3 final was tight throughout. The Yankees made plays in the moments that mattered most. That is the version of this team that wins in October.
GettyDETROIT, MI – JUNE 23: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees watches his two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Comerica Park on June 23, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Boone went from publicly expressing frustration about the lollipop to laughing about it in the span of 12 hours. That is the Chisholm experience.
The Yankees needed a win. They needed someone to break the tension and remind the clubhouse what it feels like to play loose. Chisholm delivered both with one swing and a postgame celebration that leaned all the way into the joke.
The losing streak is over. The lollipops are staying, just not at second base.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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