Chisholm Backs Yankees for World Series Title in Unequivocal Late-Night Prediction
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. declared on Monday night that the Yankees will "for sure" win the World Series this season, making the statement without hesitation during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on the team's scheduled off day. When Fallon asked what the club's ultimate goal was, Chisholm replied: "I mean, to win a World Series. We're in New York."
The Yankees entered the week sitting at 36-23, good for a .610 winning percentage - fifth-best in Major League Baseball - while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by two games in the loss column in the AL East. The roster carries genuine depth: right-hander Cam Schlittler has emerged as a legitimate American League Cy Young Award candidate, Gerrit Cole returned from Tommy John surgery and logged 13 consecutive scoreless innings to open his season, and Max Fried is approaching a return from injury. First baseman Ben Rice leads the majors in OPS, and outfielder Cody Bellinger leads the American League in WAR, according to the draft. The club is also hitting home runs at a league-high rate, a trend established before two-time reigning MVP Aaron Judge, 34, has found his full stride at the plate.
New York has reached the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons but has appeared in just one World Series during that span - a run that ended in defeat. The franchise's ongoing drought ranks as its second-longest without a championship since capturing its first title in 1923. The convergence of an aging core, a fully loaded roster, and uncertain labor conditions heading into the next collective bargaining cycle lends the 2026 campaign a particular urgency in the Bronx.
Chisholm's confidence will be measured against his track record for bold forecasts. Before the 2024 season he predicted a 50-home-run, 50-stolen-base campaign for himself; through the point reflected in the draft, he carries six home runs and 14 stolen bases in 2026. The 50-50 milestone was ultimately reached for the first time in MLB history by Shohei Ohtani during the 2024 season. Whether Chisholm's World Series call proves more accurate than his personal statistical projection will be answered when the postseason begins in October.
