KC Royals’ Yankees nemesis goes full villain in latest Maikel Garcia fiasco

Nothing gets the blood flowing quite like the Royals vs Yankees. On Tuesday night, 30,000+ fans packed Kauffman Stadium for the biggest home series of the year.

Unfortunately, people won't be talking about the game on the field. The air was taken out of the stadium once Aaron Judge destroyed a pitch that looked like it landed inside the Sasquatch's lair on the Royals Hall of Fame in the first inning.

The result was a 10-2 stinker from the Royals on Jac Caglianone's Kauffman Stadium debut. The loss is embarrassing, but what's worse is the Yankees' attitude towards the Royals, specifically one player.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Jazz Chisholm had choice words for Maikel Garcia after tag at third base

The stage was set for Chisholm after his double aided in knocking Noah Cameron out of the game.

Chisholm stole third in the top of the sixth but didn't like how Maikel Garcia tagged him. The broadcast caught Chisholm saying something about it to his third base coach, but we'll let you figure out what he might have said.

"I just feel like every time we have a problem, it's always been him (Garcia)," Chisholm Jr. said postgame. "That's the only reason I was so frustrated."

Here's the tag he's referring to:

The disdain for Chisholm in Kansas City is real. It was cultivated last year in the ALDS when Chisholm said the Royals "just got lucky" after a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Royals in Game 2.

Royals fans have made Chisholm into public enemy number one Kansas City with things such as "boo this man" campaigns. Jazz didn't take offense to them, seeming amused by the idea of being a villain.

"I like it, Chisholm said. I went up to home plate today and told (Freddy) Fermin I kinda like it. I'm not at home so I would rather walk up to something instead of walking up to noise at all."

Chisolm's "newfound popularity" in Kansas City seems to have boosted his ego even more than before.

Instead of approaching Garcia about the tag - where if there was any excessive contact it certainly appeared inadvertent - Chisholm chose to act tough to his third base coach?

Chisholm knew what he was doing. Even though his antics on the field and his approach at the plate may lead you to believe something different.

He had to have known the broadcast would pick up what he said, and lip readers would be working overtime to decipher his words.

This all seemed like a calculated attempt to test the Royals and get under their skin.

I can't speak for the players in the clubhouse, but it got under mine.

The combination of a blowout loss and the choice words from Chisholm just hasn't sat right with me, and a good night's sleep hasn't fixed anything.

If I'm still running hot about it, I can only imagine how the players feel—especially Garcia.

He was the one who was actually tagged unnecessarily last year in the ALDS when Yankees' shortstop Anthony Volpe gave him a forearm to the neck as Garcia slid into second base.

The Royals need to channel this frustration and respond with a trip to win column against the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have beaten the Royals six times in a row, dating back to last season. The players need to say enough is enough and end their Yankees blues.

A situation like this can sometimes bring a team closer and give them a spark, which is exactly what the Royals are looking for.

They've called up players like Nick Loftin, John Rave, and Tyler Tolbert from Triple-A to replace struggling players on the Major League roster, along with their No. 1 prospect in Caglianone less than three months into the season.

The Royals front office and coaching staff have tried everything to help them gain some momentum in the postseason race, but at the end of the day, it's on the players to step up and make something happen.

Someone needs to. It's time to stand on business. And perhaps Chisholm just gave them the fuel to do so.