Chapman lets it slide in Game 1
BOSTON — Manager Joe Girardi hadn’t used Aroldis Chapman three days in a row in nearly three months and didn’t do it at all last season.
But the Yankees’ bullpen was gassed during a long weekend against the Red Sox, and the manager decided to take the chance.
Chapman came through with a scoreless ninth in a 3-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park before the Yankees dropped Game 2 by the same score.
It was Chapman’s second straight shutout inning after his meltdown in Friday’s loss, when he walked in the winning run and didn’t record an out.
“I feel normal,” Chapman said through an interpreter after earning the save. “Today was obviously a better day. I’ve got to keep working. You can never stop.”
The lefty also went to his slider with more frequency than he did Friday and it was effective.
He and catcher Austin Romine recently talked about relying on the pitch more, and his 23-pitch flop Friday, when he threw nothing but fastballs, reinforced that notion.
On Sunday, Chapman got Brock Holt to ground out before getting Hanley Ramirez looking, with the assistance of some generous calls by home plate umpire Gabe Morales.
Dustin Pedroia got to Chapman with a single the other way before he threw four consecutive fastballs to Mookie Betts, who grounded out to end the game.
Romine said there was no dip in confidence from Chapman.
“He’s a closer,” Romine said. “He’s the guy that gets the ball in the ninth. They all have confidence. They’re all aggressive people. There’s no confidence issue there.”
Nevertheless, Girardi said he was hesitant to call on Chapman again, but he had little choice given the state of the pen after the relief corps was tested both Friday and Saturday.
“We talked a couple of different times,” Girardi said of conversations he had with Chapman, along with pitching coach Larry Rothschild. “He kept reassuring us he was OK. He can reassure me [Monday], but he won’t pitch.”
Throughout his career, Chapman has been effective when he has pitched three straight days, but he now has done it just four times in the past three years.
The greater issue is the fact Chapman isn’t as dominant as he once was. And Romine reiterated Girardi’s thoughts Sunday, indicating it is due in part to the fact Chapman doesn’t blow away opposing batters as he used to.
“People throw harder,” Romine said. “Ninetynine [mph], you see that a lot. [Sunday] was a big step. He was pitching. He was throwing sliders in and out, moving the ball. I think that’s what you’re going to have to do.”