Saez on catching during Chapman’s rehab: ‘I was excited’
TRENTON » Only a select few will ever get to squat down and catch baseballs from the hardest-throwing pitcher on the planet.
Jorge Saez joined an exclusive club Friday night when the Thunder catcher was on the receiving end of 20 pitches during Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman’s rehab from left rotator cuff inflammation.
The two have linked up in spring training before, but their Arm & Hammer Park meeting was Saez’s first time working with Chapman in a game.
“It goes a long way because, one, it’s a big leaguer. He’s been at the highest level,” Saez said Saturday. “You see Aroldis Chapman pretty much anywhere in the United States after seeing the World Series last year. They know who he is, they know what he does, they know how hard he throws, his fame. And so a guy like that, definitely I was excited. I’m like, ‘Yeah, you know, I’m going to catch Chapman today.’”
Chapman, the winning pitcher for the Cubs against the Indians in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, has twice thrown a 105.1 mph pitch — the fastest recorded pitch in history, according to the Guinness World Records.
On Friday, Chapman topped out at 102 mph. But he hurled 11 of 20 pitches for balls, threw two wild pitches and walked two batters in two-thirds of an inning.
Chapman, who hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since May 12, is expected to be activated from the disabled list Sunday in Oakland.
“He told me he really wanted to get his fastball going,” Saez said. “As you could tell, he had a little difficulty with it. He knows that at the highest level, the big leagues, what gets everything going is that heater working. When he can throw that heater for strikes consistently, it’s very difficult to hit.”
Chapman is one of two major leaguers the Thunder have had the privilege of absorbing knowledge from this week. Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees’ center fielder, was in the home clubhouse again Saturday. The 33-year-old has been taking batting practice and playing catch in Trenton as he awaits clearance from doctors to play in games following a concussion suffered on May 24.
“You ask some questions, you talk to them and it’s an awesome feeling just to be able learn from those great players,” said Saez, a six-year minor league veteran who was a non-roster invitee to Yankees spring training in January.
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Four Yankees roster moves affected the Thunder on Saturday.
Right-handed starting pitchers Domingo Acevedo and Ronald Herrera returned to Trenton, while right-handed relievers Jose Pena and Jose Mesa Jr. went back to High-A Tampa.
Herrera, who made his major-league debut Wednesday night out of the bullpen, is 7-0 with a 1.07 ERA in eight starts for the Thunder this season.
Acevedo, who gave up one run on three hits in seven innings during his only start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, holds a 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for Trenton. He is the Yankees’ No. 12 prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline.