Aaron Boone was hoping for redemption from Aroldis Chapman when he called on the Yankee closer to keep the score tied at one with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 11th.
Chapman, who was pulled from a save situation less than 24 hours earlier after walking the bases loaded to start the top of the ninth, instead continued to struggle with his command, walking Ramon Urias to force in the game-winning run against the lowly Orioles.
With that walk, according to Stats Perform, Chapman became the first reliever in the modern era to issue a walk-off walk after walking three or more batters in his previous appearance.
Chapman’s final pitch of the night, a slider just above the zone, prompted Aaron Boone to bolt out of the dugout and argue the call, and he was promptly tossed. Boone said he was more frustrated with a missed call earlier in the inning when Clarke Schmidt was still on the mound, and Chapman said he agreed that his final pitch of the evening was just high.
“They were close,” Chapman said. “They were very close pitches. But at the end, I lost the batter.”
Chapman has experienced control spells in the not-too-distant past. After a historically dominant start to the 2021 season, the lefty flamethrower suddenly lost the plate in June, going through a span of seven appearances, just 5.1 innings of work, where he allowed 12 walks, including one appearance where he issued three free passes. The Yankees certainly hope this isn’t the start of another control breakdown.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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