By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

With just three shots to his ledger, Bahamian Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr got eliminated in the first round of the Major League Baseball’s 2025 Home Run Derby last night in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chisholm Jr, with his step-father and long-time mentor Geron Sands pitching to him from behind the cage just in front of the mound, Chisholm Jr cracked the three homers to the right side of the Truist Park after he swung at a total of 37 pitches.

His longest shot on the night was 463 feet, while the other two were 409 and 400. 

The 27-year-old infielder, representing the New York Yankees in his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, missed his first four swings on the pitches from Sands before he finally connected on his first homer.

Chisholm Jr, who had a total of 17 homers during the regular season, missed his next 13 pitches before he got his second homer. He then missed the next six pitches only to connect on his third and final homer before he missed the next three to complete his three-minute round.

Finally, in the bonus round, Chisholm Jr missed all three shots as he made his exit.

He joined Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson, who went out with 15 homers, Washington Nationals’ James Wood with 16 and Oklahoma Athletics’ Brent Rooker with 17. 

The top four performers to advance to the second round were Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh with 17, Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton with 20 and both Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz and Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero had 21 apiece. Each player had three minutes in the first round but, in an attempt to reduce the rushed cadence of the round, they faced a maximum of 40 pitches in those three minutes. Each player gets one timeout.

The top four players advanced to the semifinal, which followed the same structure as the first round, with hitters receiving three minutes, a timeout, and three bonus outs.

The top two players advanced to the final where the  structure changed a bit with each player receiving two minutes and a maximum of 27 pitches. 

Bonus rules stay the same, with each player receiving three bonus outs with the potential to earn a fourth.

Raeigh eventually emerged as the champion with 17, compared to seven by Caminero.

Although he didn’t advance out of the first round, Chisholm Jr will be back in action tonight when he comes off the bench as a reserve for the American League against the National League in the All-Star game that starts at 8 pm.

It’s Chisholm Jr’s second selection to the All-Star, but his first since joining New York during the midseason last year in a trade from the Miami Marlins.

In 2022 as a member of the Marlins, Chisholm Jr was selected for the All-Star Classic, but didn’t get to compete because of an injury. 

He’s the first Bahamian to participate in both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Classic.