Throughout most of the season, New York Yankees’ closer Aroldis Chapman had been dealing with left knee tendinitis without complaint. This made manager Aaron Boone quite worried when Chapman had to leave Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the 12th inning.
Chapman, a left-handed closer, threw only six pitches before exiting due to increased knee pain. The team has placed him on the ten-day injured list due to this issue.Boone mentioned, “The pain was in the same spot as before, so we decided to take him out. We will conduct all the necessary tests tomorrow.”
Following a walk to Isaac Galloway, the leadoff batter of the inning, Chapman threw three additional balls to the Marlins’ hitter, Rafael Ortega, before signaling to the Yankees’ dugout. Boone, Chapman, interpreter Marlon Abreau, team trainer Steve Donogue, and Yankees infielders gathered at the mound for a brief discussion. Chapman then left the game, returned to the dugout, and went up to the clubhouse.
Explaining through his interpreter Abreau, Chapman remarked, “The pain was more severe than usual, which prompted me to call the trainers out. It was more intense than what I had been feeling recently.” Chapman noted experiencing discomfort in his left knee during warm-ups, which escalated during the game, resulting in the trainers being summoned.
Chapman reached a top speed of 97.1 mph during his six pitches. His average pitch velocity was 96.0 mph. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this marks the lowest average speed Chapman has recorded in a game since 2013.To close out the game, Chapman was replaced by right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle, who helped secure the Yankees’ 2-1 victory over the Marlins.
