NEW YORK — This year Aroldis Chapman put together one of the most dominant seasons by a reliever in MLB history, but with three outs to go in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series things almost went completely off the rails.
After coming on to record the final out of the eighth, Chapman returned for the bottom of the ninth and immediately gave up three consecutive Yankees singles to load the bases with nobody out.
At that moment it looked like the Red Sox could be headed for a crushing defeat, but after a brief mound visit Chapman regrouped and slammed the door.
Chapman struck out Giancarlo Stanton, forced a Jazz Chisholm Jr. flyout and struck out Trent Grisham to end the game, securing the 3-1 Game 1 victory for the Red Sox and his 11th career playoff save.
How did he escape such a difficult jam?
“Just trying to calm myself down and execute pitch by pitch,” Chapman said via interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez.
All season long manager Alex Cora only went to Chapman for more than three outs once, summoning the closer for a four-out save on July 23 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Both Chapman and setup man Garrett Whitlock were warm when starter Garrett Crochet recorded the second out of the eighth, but instead of going with Whitlock, Cora opted to give the ball to his closer right then and there.
Once things started going south in the ninth, Cora said it was important that he not overreact.
“Stay calm. Stay calm. That’s all you can do,” Cora said. “Make pitches. They were aggressive. Didn’t hit the ball hard in that inning, but they were getting hits. You trust the guy. He has been one of the best, if not the best closers in the game. So just let him go. He made some pitches.”
His teammates said even when things looked bleak, they had full confidence Chapman could figure out a way to win.
“He is the best reliever in the American League. I don’t think it is too big of a leap to say something like that, especially with a huge insurance run there in the ninth,” Crochet said. “We get a double play, they score one, and it’s one out to go. I feel really good about that.”
Unlike many of his younger teammates, Chapman has plenty of experience pitching in the postseason. Tuesday marked his 45th career playoff appearance, and with his 1.1 scoreless innings on Tuesday he now owns a 2.31 ERA in 50.2 innings.
Many of those outings came during his seven seasons with the Yankees, so while he’s no stranger to the intensity that comes with pitching inside Yankee Stadium, he said the most important thing is shutting out the noise and staying focused on the task at hand.
“In that moment you don’t hear anything, you don’t see anything,” Chapman said. “You’re just 100% focused on your catcher and the next pitch.”
Thanks to their closer, the Red Sox are now one win away from eliminating their biggest rival and moving on to the American League Divisional Series.
