Aroldis Chapman

New York Yankees escape crazy injury with closer Aroldis Chapman

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

The New York Yankees pitching has been stellar so far this postseason, allowing just seven total runs over three games. The starting pitching has been solid, the bullpen has been active, and closer, Aroldis Chapman, has done his job to near perfection in his two appearances. Over two innings, he has for strikeouts, two walks, one hit, and no runs allowed.

However, Chapman almost went down with a crazy injury after Monday night’s win, which secured the ALDS for the Yankees and guaranteed them a spot in the ALCS against either the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays.

According to Dan Martin of the New York Post, a bandage was wrapped around Chapman’s left hand, which is also his pitching hand. This occurred after the victory while the team is celebrating in the clubhouse. A bottle of champagne struck the hand of Aroldis, which forced him to ice it and ensure it wouldn’t affect his future performances.

“I was just celebrating, and everyone was jumping around. I got hit with a bottle, but it’s fine,” Chapman stated after the incident.

The New York Yankees almost lost another player on Monday:

In addition to Chapman‘s injury, relief option Zack Britton left in the eighth inning after jamming his ankle at first base. The pitcher stated he would be fine and that he would not miss any time due to the ailment. Having two influential players come close to suffering severe injuries is undoubtedly not how the Yankees envisioned starting their postseason.

Luckily, they were able to escape without anything serious, which is better than the frequency of injuries during the regular season. Chapman has 37 saves on the year, the second-highest in his career. The much-needed rest the Yankees will enjoy due to the sweep of the Twins will give them an advantage going to the ALCS. Houston and Tampa Bay are currently tied up at two apiece and will play the third game on Thursday night.

New York Yankees: Chapman and Britton OK after injury scare

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

The New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS and the Yankees had some fun after – maybe too much fun. Closer Aroldis Chapman was hit with a bottle that cut his hand.

There was a concern at first, of course, as the injury bug has bit the Yankees all season. However, Chapman made sure everyone knew he was OK.

“I was just celebrating and everyone was jumping around,” said Chapman. “I got hit with a bottle, but it’s fine.”

General manager Brian Cashman said he realized the injury after giving Chapman a fist-bump. “He had a huge smile on his face, so I think that was a good sign,” Cashman said.

Left-hander Zach Britton left Game 3 of the ALDS early with an apparent ankle injury where he hopped around in the infield. However, it does not seem that this injury will pose a threat for the postseason.

“I’ll be fine,” Britton said reassuringly.

Both relievers will be heavily used in the postseason. Britton, known for his high groundball rate, is a guy the Yankees turn to when in a jam. Chapman, known for the high-heat, will always be the ninth-inning guy to close out the game.

Chapman has pitched just 2.2 innings this year in the postseason and has only allowed one hit through that time. Britton has pitched just an out less than Chapman and has only allowed one hit as well.

The New York Yankees will have a week of rest before heading into the ALCS either playing the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays.

New York Yankees: Will Aroldis Chapman Stay in New York?

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

There have been many rumors that flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman will opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees. He is currently signed with the club on a five-year, $86 million deal. Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic, reported earlier this month that he spoke to a source that said Chapman will “one million percent” opt out of his deal.

Amid the rumors, Aroldis Chapman has spoken publicly that these reports are false. “The report is completely false. I haven’t even spoken to my agent about it. Like I said before, we have a big task in front of us, which is to win the division and win the World Series. That’s the main focus for me right now. Contract stuff hasn’t even crossed my mind at all” said Chapman during an interview with reporters.

Chapman has also brought the point across in a Twitter post:

Despite his recent slump and velocity decrease, Chapman is one of the best closers in baseball. He holds a 2.50 ERA with 26 saves, where he ranks third among all MLB closers this season (Baseball Reference and ESPN). Chapman has fanned 56 batters in 39.2 innings recorded.

I believe Aroldis Chapman will stay in New York. The club has everything a player desires, and he’ll definitely get paid appropriately. He also said this about New York, “the truth is, honestly, I feel really good here,” Chapman said. “There’s no reason for me to start thinking about changes or anything like that. I feel great here” (MLB.com).

New York Yankees pitching continues to struggle, help is on the way

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

The New York Yankees have given up a combined 40 runs over the last five games, and their starting pitchers are on the hook for 29 of them, an atrocious number that nearly guarantees GM Brian Cashman bringing in another starter.

It’s obvious fatigue is starting to set in as players like Domingo German, CC Sabathia, and James Paxton are all struggling at an immense rate. German has never pitched over 85.2 innings in a season and he’s already at 91.2, Sabathia’s age is clearly getting the best of him and Paxton looks lost after reports of knee inflammation dampened his potential.

The return of Luis Severino should provide a boost given he can return to his former self, but it will take mountains to solidify the unit at this point in time, which is why a trade is becoming more likely with every passing day.

Yesterday, we talked about Clint Frazier being a trading piece, and today it’s nearly impossible to consider him less than that.

The Yankees have been linked to several quality options like Madison Bumgarner, Marcus Stroman, Trevor Bauer and more, and with the trade deadline being July 31, expect a move to be made soon.

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Could the New York Yankees and Cashman sit still?

It’s very possible the Bombers elect not to bring in another pitcher, but they’de be doing themselves a disservice and ultimately hurt their chances at a World Series run. The reality is, it’s necessary, and the fact they traded for Edwin Encarnacion out of the blue should attest to their sneakiness.

However, the 10th inning victory against the Twins on Tuesday night, capped off by a game-sealing Aaron Hicks mega-catch, was a sneak peek into the deterioration of the relief pitching corps. Aroldis Chapman can’t record a save for his life and Adam Ottavino lost his control. The fact they managed to win that game was simply a product of their insane run-support and defensive quality.

Things need to tighten up for the Yanks, and it starts with acquiring a starter than can carry the team when he’s featured.

Travis D’Arnaud Single Handedly Beats The New York Yankees

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

Monday’s game for the New York Yankees against the Tampa Bay Rays is one that fans would like to forget.

The Yankees only lost 5-4, but it came in the ugliest way possible. Tampa Bay Rays catcher Travis D’Arnaud went 3-for-3 with three home runs, driving in all five runs for the Rays.

He hit solo homers that looked almost identical in the first and the third, then hit a three run bomb off of Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, down to the Rays final strike.

Monday alone was a third of D’Arnaud’s home runs of the season. It isn’t like he is a power hitter, or much of a hitter at all.

And, Chapman blowing the save wasn’t pretty. He hasn’t pitched well over the last few weeks, and it was bound to happen to him. But, no closer is perfect by any means.

It sucks that Tuesday’s game ended like it did, but all the Yankees can do now is refocus. They still have a five game lead, and each win extends the lead by a game during this series. They also can’t worry about what Boston is doing. If they continue to play their own game, they will be fine and there is no reason to worry about one sour loss.

New York Yankees: Taking a look at the mid-season MVPs of 2019

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees continue to be one of the best teams in baseball despite being faced with injuries galore. A ton of players have stepped up but these four guys in the running for the midseason team MVP have stood out above the rest.

The top 4 mid-season New York Yankees MVPs of 2019:

4th place: Gleyber Torres 

Torres has been one of the best players on the Bombers this season. With guys like Didi and Judge normally taking a lot of the headlines in the past, their injuries and slow returns have allowed for breakout players. Gleyber has been one of the best hitters on the team this season and is deserving of consideration for best player.

With a .292 average and a .360 OBP with 19 HRs and 50 RBIs, his sophomore season has been, to this point a huge success. He has been vital to the Yankees success and will continue to be essential throughout the remainder of the season. 

3rd place: Aroldis Chapman

The Cuban Missile is on fire this year. Having easily his best season in pinstripes and one of his best seasons ever. Chapman has a 1.82 ERA and 24 saves (1st in AL). Chapman has been clutch with 24/27 save opportunities seeing success. Chapman continues to show his dominance and as he heads back from another all-star appearance, big things are coming for Chapman as the season wears on. 

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2nd Place: Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez was written off by many last season, including myself. He’s won Yankees nation back over this season with a dominant year to this point. Slashing .245 with 24 HRs and 57 RBIs and a .315 OBP. He appeared in his second career all-star game and has been the true definition of a cleanup hitter this season. He’s enjoying one of his best seasons and his success is encouraging for the upcoming and long term future. 

WINNER: DJ LeMahieu

A guy who seemed like the odd man out for the lineup early in the season was called upon to step up in the wake of injuries. LeMahieu has since then stepped up and become one of the best players in all of baseball. With a .336 average (1st in AL, 3rd in MLB), 113 hits (2nd in MLB), 65 runs scored (5th in AL), 63 RBIs (4th in AL) and a .383 OBP (8th in AL) LeMahieu is having a phenomenal year. On the field, LeMahieu has been spectacular, but his presence in the locker room is unmatched as well. LeMahieu has been unequivocally the best player in all of baseball and is easily the most deserving of Yankees MVP at the halfway point.

New York Yankees: How Did Players Fare In The All-Star Game

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

Tuesday evening was the MLB All-Star game, and all five New York Yankees players selected to the team played and had an impact. Keep reading to find out what each player did in the game.

DJ LeMahieu

DJ went 0-for-2 in the game, but played clean defense in his four and a half innings of play. He grounded out to the pitcher in both at-bats.

Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez went 1-for-2 and caught a solid half game. He ripped a double to left in the fifth inning and flied out earlier in the game.

Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres pinch-hit for DJ LeMahieu in the fifth, and went 1-for-2 in doing so. He struck out his first time up, but reached on an infield single his second time up to the plate.

Masahiro Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka pitched the second inning, allowing one hit but struck out one to kept the game scoreless. Gary Sanchez caught him as usual. Tanaka actually ended up as the winning pitcher, as the AL won 4-3.

Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman came in the ninth to get the save, and did so by striking out the side. It was actually a much needed inning of work, as this past week was a bit shaky for him on the mound.

It’s great that the Yankees players performed well at the all-star game, but now it’s time for the second half stretch run.

Poor Bullpen Management Finally Bites New York Yankees Against Tampa

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New York Yankees, Zack BRitton

On Saturday, the New York Yankees fell to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 7-2.

However, the score was close for most of the game. A few decisions regarding the bullpen over the last few days may of been the reason for the lopsided loss.

A fresh-ish Kahnle

A lot of people were left asking why Tommy Kahnle didn’t pitch on Saturday. His ERA has been one of the best in baseball, sitting at 1.13.

Kahnle was used on Thursday and Friday, but got it done so efficiently that he threw just 18 total pitches over an inning each outing. He would of likely been fine to pitch a third day in a row.

Green was available

The Yankees also mentioned before the Tampa series began that reliever Chad Green was about ready to rejoin the team from Scranton during the weekend. The plan is that Green would not appear in anymore AAA games, and his next outing would be an MLB outing.

If the Yankees needed a fresh arm, I don’t understand why you don’t just call him up. He could potentially give you two innings with his revamped stuff.

Why inning-by-inning doesn’t always work.

With guys pitching an inning a night, it allows them to pitch multiple nights in a row. If a pitcher throws multiple innings in an outing, they likely become unavailable the next night.

Well, the Yankees threw all of their big guys on Thursday and Friday, those being Tommy Kahnle, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Aroldis Chapman.

You know that if you have several close games in a row, you will want to have you best pitchers throw, right?

In the Yankees mindset, if there would be three close games in a row, it would be on the low-leverage guys to get the job done.

Instead of throwing all four big guys for two nights in a row, plan so you have say Kahnle and Chapman throw one night, and have throw Britton and Ottavino the next, each pitcher throwing two innings. So each pitcher would throw two innings, then get a night off. Then, stick a low-leverage guy in there if you get a short start or are forced to do so in a long game. But, extra innings games often see all of your high leverage pitchers anyway.

Since the Yankees had none of their good arms ready on Saturday, Jonathan Holder and Nestor Cortes Jr. came in and combined to give up five runs over three innings.

Maybe if Aaron Boone had better bullpen management, the Yankees would be able to win a few more games. The management of his bullpen is one of the two things holding the team back, the other obviously being injuries.

Gary Sanchez Goes Yard Twice and Paxton Injured as New York Yankees Win 6-3

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

James Paxton only pitched three innings due to an injury, but the bullpen stepped up, as well as the offense for the New York Yankees to beat the Twins 6-3.

The Yankees return home, and so does their offense

The Yankees got it going early in the first when Gleyber Torres singled home Brett Gardner. Luke Voit walked in the inning to extend his on-base streak to 42 games.

Voit also got a hit in the second, the ball staying in the infield, also registering an RBI.

The Yankees picked up two in the fourth off a wild pitch and a ground-ball to second off the bat of Gardner.

To conclude the offense, Gary Sanchez hit solo-home runs to left in the fifth and seventh for his ninth and tenth of the season.

Paxton’s brief evening

James Paxton was removed after the third inning with knee soreness, and will get an MRI on it Saturday.

He gave up two hits and a run, while walking three. It just looked like he was uncomfortable up there, and it showed in his performance. Now, the Yankees just have to hope that it isn’t too serious.

But luckily, the Yankees had a well rested bullpen.

Jonathan Holder pitched two perfect innings to continue his stretch of strong outings. Adam Ottavino and Tommy Kahnle each followed with perfect innings.

But, come the eighth, Zack Britton came in for an inning of work. After a walk, he served up a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz.

But it never amounted to anything, as Chapman shut it down for the save in the ninth.

Andujar is ready

Miguel Andujar will be in the line-up and be activated on Saturday. He will be the first of a few that are close to returning. Stanton and Hicks will be ready next.

To make room for Andujar, the Yankees sent Mike Ford down to AAA.

Game two of the series will take place on Saturday at 1:00PM on MLB Network, ESPN+, YES, and Fox Sports Go. JA Happ (1-2, 4.68 ERA) gets the ball for the Yankees against Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.34) of the Twins.

New York Yankees: Sanchez Hits Grand Slam to Lead Yankees Past Giants

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez hit a fifth inning grand slam to lead the New York Yankees past the Giants, 6-4. The Giants made an attempt to come back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Happ’s best start

JA Happ undoubtedly had his best start of 2019 against the Giants.

Over seven scoreless innings, he gave up just five hits without a run crossing. He didn’t allow any walks, but struck out just two.

Happ got six swings and misses, also getting 13 fly-outs to just six ground-balls. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 26 batters he faced.

But, it didn’t go well after Happ was removed.

After Luis Cessa pitched a scoreless eighth, Boone wanted to keep him out for the ninth but only could do so by letting him hit. So he did (well, he tried), and after taking two balls he took three hard cuts to be retired.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cessa gave up home runs to two former Yankees.

Yangervis Solarte hit a three run home run, and Erik Kratz followed with a solo shot. That was enough for Aaron Boone to pull Cessa, and he was forced to use Aroldis Chapman in a one out save situation. Chapman successfully got the final out for the win.

The big blast

Without Gary Sanchez hitting that home run, the Yankees likely would of lost Saturday’s game.

With Happ, LeMahieu, and Voit on-base, he belted a 1-2 sinker to left-center, well over 460 feet. He saw all sinkers during the at-bat, and picked one and crushed one. It currently sits as the fourth longest home run of the season.

Gio Urshela had three hits in four tries, raising his average to .327.

LeMahieu, Torres, Maybin, and Estrada each had Yankee hits. Luke Voit was hit by a pitch to keep his on-base streak alive, but his hit streak ended at 13.

The final game of this three game set concludes on Sunday at 4:05PM (ET) on YES and Fox Sports Go. Domingo German is expected to get the ball for the Yankees against Dereck Rodriguez of the Giants.