Yankees' Anthony Rizzo bails out Jazz Chisholm after absurd 'rally-killing' pickoff

The New York Yankees couldn't get their bearings whatsoever through innings two-through-five against the Cleveland Guardians' super bullpen ... but that made complete sense. The Guards' 'pen, from Cade Smith on down, is built for exactly this. The Yankees' lineup hasn't exactly been able to cash in on opportunities against lesser competition. Expecting them to hit the best of the Guardians felt like a fool's errand.

But the sixth? The sixth seemed like it might be slightly different. With Erik Sabrowski in to battle a fleet of lefties, fresh off being ambushed by a Giancarlo Stanton home run in Game 1, Jazz Chisholm won the frame's first plate appearance, rubbing his eyes over and over again (why?) before socking a double off the left field wall.

Anthony Volpe, after attempting to bunt, worked a walk instead. That brought Anthony Rizzo to the plate, and fears of a double play rose. After all, Rizzo was a controversial starter on Monday, with his two fractured fingers barely healed (if at all). He delivered a 105 MPH single in his first at-bat, but made a poor defensive play in the eighth and was eventually removed for being "physically and emotionally spent". Aaron Boone professed that he'd be back for Game 2, but most doubted he'd be able to provide all that much.

Of course -- of course -- before a single pitch was thrown to Rizzo, Chisholm brainstormed an all-new method of rally-killing. Sabrowski stared at him ... and started ... and stared ... and caught Chisholm wandering into the dirt path. Despite a 6-out-of-10 swim move, he was out, and the Yankees lost their challenge. Ghastly.

Depending on your perspective, what happened next was either cathartic or even more frustrating.

Yankees' third baseman Jazz Chisholm picked off, but Anthony Rizzo bails him out vs. Guardians

You cannot do that.

And yet ... and yet ... with every Yankee fan, both in the building and at home, well aware that there was no way for this team to win a 3-2 game following Chisholm's gaffe, Rizzo went ahead and made it 4-2.

If Chisholm doesn't lock up, this is a 5-2 game, after Will Brennan's bobble allowed Volpe to score from first.

But, as it stands, the Yankees turned the most disheartening play of the postseason into an insurance run, and we can even find it in our hearts to forgive Rizzo, picked off on the basepaths two batters later on a bouncer to Austin Hedges. Almost.

Rizzo might be going from the bench to the cleanup spot by Game 3. Baseball. It's crazy, huh?