Lollipop-gate has descended upon the Yankees. It’s been said that when you watch a baseball game, chances are you’re going to see something you’ve never seen before. Well, that was certainly the case during the Tigers’ 5–3 win over the Yankees at Comerica Park, during which Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. took the field for the bottom half of the fifth inning with a green lollipop, specifically what appeared to be a Blow Pop—a hard lollipop with a soft chewing gum center—in his mouth.
Okay, before we get into the optics of this, let’s get one thing out of the way. It sounds utterly ridiculous but this was actually a dangerous decision by Chisholm, who is being paid $10.2 million this year to play baseball for the Yankees, to risk running in the field and potentially jamming the lollipop against the roof of his mouth, or worse, choking on the sweet snack while diving to make a potential play in the field. Not to sound like an overbearing parent, but Chisholm is honestly lucky that he didn’t suffer an injury.
Injury risk aside, it’s also simply a bad look. It gives off the vibe that Chisholm is so carefree and relaxed that he can enjoy a lollipop while doing the least of what’s asked of him on the baseball diamond.
It could also be perceived as a lack of intensity or professionalism, which is essentially chum for the critics of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, whom the fans sometimes wish would get mean and flip a table when things aren’t going well. No tables were flipped, but Boone was clearly not pleased with Chisholm, which is telling.
Aaron Boone was pissed off that Jazz Chisholm Jr. played with a lollipop in his mouth
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 23, 2026
Boone didn't realize it was the second time this season that Jazz did it pic.twitter.com/FagULjORxF
“That pisses me off," Boone said during a Tuesday appearance on the Talkin'’Yanks podcast. "I didn’t know about it until after the game. So he and I talked about that, and that won't be going on.”
Chisholm should not have taken the field with a lollipop in his mouth and Boone evidently made that very clear to the Yankees speedster. Unless Chisholm is planning on pulling a U.L. Washington—a Royas infielder known for keeping a toothpick in his mouth while he played during the 1970s and ’80s—this is probably the last time he’ll have a lollipop on the field. End of story. Let’s not make this something it’s not.
Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay, during his ESPN New York radio segment, mentioned he had talked to people around baseball and was told that some felt Chisholm exhibited, “a lack of respect for the game, and it’s a lack of respect for your teammates and it’s a lack of respect for the manager and the coaches.”
Was it a bad look? Yes, especially for a struggling player in a free agent platform year. But this type of reaction is completely overblown and almost feels like a manufactured controversy of sorts where Chisholm is the antagonist. Chisholm put massive expectations on his own shoulders when he declared before the season that he wanted to be a 50–50 player—which would make him the second player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. He’s endured heightened criticism as he has scuffled to a 98 OPS+, the third-worst mark among Yankees in the starting lineup. And yes, he’s far off the pace for 50 homers (though he may actually achieve 50 stolen bases).
Lollipop-gate feels like a convenient way for Chisholm to be made a scapegoat and fall guy amid a stretch in which Yankees pitching has faltered and the bats have collectively gone quiet en route to losses in four of the team’s last five games. That, and not a simple lapse in judgement by Chisholm, should be the story.
Plus, snacks are synonymous with baseball. Chewing tobacco has long been a part of the game, as well as sunflower seeds and chewing gum. The latter can even be considered a no-no in certain social settings—say, while at a dinner party or with unfamiliar company—but is acceptable on a baseball field.
So let’s not act like Chisholm was desecrating the sport or the Yankees logo when he decided to enjoy a sweet snack on Monday night. It was just Jazz being Jazz in what will amount to just another game in June for the first-place Yankees.
