Dodgers' Miguel Rojas Reveals How Jazz Chisholm's Hateful Comments Inspired Him This Season
11/20/2024 01:29 PM
During spring training, New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. made waves by publicly calling Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas “not a good person.”
The remark came after a tense exchange that revealed a clash between their personalities and playing styles during their time together with the Miami Marlins.
The Yankees third baseman had labeled Rojas as "not a good captain, not a good person, not even a good athlete at this point."
Rojas elaborated on how those remarks inspired him this season in an exclusive interview with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain.
"That motivation for me was 'Okay, yeah, I know I’m not gonna be liked by everybody, and I don’t care.' I know people gonna like me, people gonna dislike me,” Rojas said. “And whatever you do, I’m okay with that. But when you have a strong opinion on me and you feel like I’m not gonna be that person that is gonna help you, I'm gonna take that and I'm gonna say, 'Okay, I’m gonna show you that I have my ways, and that’s why I’ve been in this game for this long."
The 35-year-old hit .283/.337/.410 with 21 doubles, six home runs, and 36 RBIs in 103 games this season. He stepped into the starting shortstop role in June following Mookie Betts’ fractured left hand but later struggled with a left adductor injury that eventually led to a sports hernia.
Regardless of the injury, Rojas was a leader for the Dodgers in the clubhouse and on the field. He has learned from veterans before him and is setting a good example for his younger teammates even though Chisholm disagrees.
"I can be a big part of the team, on the field or off the field, regardless of what you need to do,” Rojas added. “I’m not Freddie Freeman, I’m not Mookie Betts. I’m not Shohei Ohtani but I know I can contribute to a World Series team to be the best team in baseball, to play shortstop for 100 plus games this year, and take the team to a point where I did my job."
Rojas sacrificed himself in more ways than one playing through multiple injuries during the team’s World Series title run. He still had Chisolm’s words in the back of his mind and did whatever he could to prove his old teammate wrong.
“It was a big motivation for me that I want to show others that I’m valued and I can actually help a team win, and I’m glad we did it and nobody can take that away from me."
More news: Dodgers Trying to Sign Top Free Agent Pitcher in Addition to Roki Sasaki: Report
Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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