Red Sox announcer urges team to ‘drill’ Yankees catcher and ‘fight’ Jazz Chisholm Jr.

In the midst of their blowout loss to the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox radio announcer on WEEI, Will Flemming, urged the team to start a literal fight.

With the Yankees leading Boston 7-1 in the eighth inning, New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. drew a walk before stealing second base. Staring at a free base as the Red Sox opted not to hold him on at second with Red Sox pitcher Jovani Morán on the mound, Chisholm took another one, stealing third without a throw, subsequently setting Flemming off.

Red Sox radio broadcaster Will Flemming says Boston’s pitcher should drill Austin Wells and fight Jazz Chisholm Jr. because he thinks Chisholm is a “bush league player” that “doesn’t play the game the right way” pic.twitter.com/wtXivJobxG

— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 31, 2026

“Chisholm’s doing it again,” Flemming said with disgust, “And this is what he does.”

Analyst Will Middlebrooks similarly didn’t appreciate Chisholm swiping the bag, noting the Red Sox were already waving the white flag by not holding him on. Middlebrooks called it a “selfish play,” claiming it’s an unwritten rule that you shouldn’t steal if you’re not being held on while calling Chisholm out for just “padding his stats.”

“Wouldn’t you sort of like to see Morán drill Wells right here?” Flemming asked before continuing to call Chisholm out for being “a bush league player.”

The Red Sox did not plunk Wells as a way of retaliating against Chisholm for stealing a free base. Instead, Wells hit the ball over the fence for a two-run homer.

“And Morán should fight Chisholm,” Flemming suggested as he described the Red Sox pitcher as walking toward the third base line to stare at Chisholm.

“I’m going to say it,” Flemming continued of Chisholm, “he plays the game the wrong way.”

Flemming went on to praise Chisholm for being talented, crediting his defense for helping the Yankees win last season’s Wild Card Series against Boston. But he’ll get no credit from Flemming for stealing third base against the Red Sox Sunday afternoon.

While Flemming went off the rails to suggest starting a fight during the eighth inning, the frustration really began in the fifth, when Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela believed he caught a line drive off the bat of Chisholm, but it was controversially ruled a hit. The ruling turned a potential double play into a five-run inning for the Yankees.

The Yankees went on to blow the game open in the eighth, scoring nine more runs around Chisholm’s two stolen bases, en route to a 16-1 win.

Announcers calling on players to plunk the opposition or start a fight on the field is something MLB should not want. But MLB should want a legitimate Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. It’s been years since the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry was must-see TV for baseball fans. But maybe a stolen base from Chisholm and back-to-back meetings in the playoffs will be enough to heat the rivalry back up.