Jazz Chisholm's superstar turn was perfect antidote to Yankees' Brayan Bello curse

If the New York Yankees aren't allowed to beat Brayan Bello, then someone should've told Jazz Chisholm Jr. that. New York's improbable series win at Fenway Park has had many authors - just look at those pitching matchups, and also look at Cody Bellinger against Aroldis Chapman! - but Chisholm's calm, cool and collected drum beat has steadily kept rhythm throughout the first two games.

Chisholm capped his first 162 games with the Yankees with a three-hit Sunday, pushing his official Year 1 totals to 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Through the first two games, securing the series, the Yankees' most unbothered player has gone 5-for-9 with three runs batted in and a home run that he watched for as long as he was legally allowed to, according to the laws of physics.

Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. helped break Brayan Bello curse

Perhaps most impressive about Chisholm and the Yankees' effort in this series has been their ability to tack on and respond. There have been runs left on the table, most of them by Austin Wells. But there have also been 1-0 leads that became 2-0, that became 3-0, that blasted off into 4-0 when Chisholm admired his titanic Saturday shot. Far too often at Fenway in recent years, the Yankees have taken an early advantage, then stalled out. The Yankees have loaded the bases and then closed the curtain after a sacrifice fly. The Yankees have played scared, leading their fans to watch scared.

Chisholm has ... no idea what it means to play terrified. Instead, he plays both with his hair on fire and like he's already earned the success he's about to swipe. And his unbothered air led almost directly to the Yankees doing damage against Bello, who's owned them consistently throughout all his ups and downs. Three of their four runs scored off the righty came off Chisholm's bat, and the homer to right will serve as the indelible exclamation point on the day the Yankees finally slayed their personal dragon.

After his Aug. 22 1-0 shutout in the Bronx, Bello owned a 1.95 ERA against the Yankees, the lowest of any pitcher in the live ball era with 10+ starts. On Saturday night, the Yankees got Bello off the interstate and turned this series from an effective example of staving off a disaster to a serious statement. Chisholm's confidence, never shaken, can be directly tied to that rise from the ashes.