Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman never gets rusty no matter how long he is out
Water and oil. Bleach and vinegar. Light and dark liquor.
Like Aroldis Chapman and rust, they don’t mix.
“I stay throwing, whether it’s daily or when I need to get hot for a situation that I’ll come in, that doesn’t mean that I don’t throw,” Chapman said via a translator. “But no, I don’t feel rust at all.”
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Saturday afternoon, the “Cuban Missile” took the mound for his third appearance in as many weeks, and struck out two enroute to his 14th save of the year in the Red Sox’ 6-3 win over the Rangers.
The eight-time All-Star’s extended absence from the mound had been a topic of discussion. A stretch without Chapman like that would sometimes lead to worry for when he is ready, but interim coach Chad Tracy has never wavered when asked about his confidence in the 38-year-old closer, no matter the length of his absence.
“If he’s not throwing a lot in the game, he’s throwing flat grounds, he’s staying sharp, he’s using pitches,” Tracy said postgame. “His workout regimen between is so good, that if he ever feels like he’s going to get into an area where he might be a little rusty, he’ll just let us know like, ‘Hey, I’d like to throw an inning today regardless.’ ”
When was the last time Chapman had asked to play regardless of the situation? Tracy said it was ahead of the May 31 contest against the Guardians, an 11-day gap from the appearance prior.
Just like it didn’t that day, the time off didn’t bother him on Saturday. Chapman started his outing by surrendering a hit to Wyatt Langford, but immediately returned to form, getting a five-pitch strikeout against Joc Pederson before using just seven pitches to record the final two outs.
He even turned up the velocity in that final out, reaching 99.7 and 100 miles per hour to set up a 91.8-m.p.h. splitter to end the game. Chapman’s appearance brought fans to their feet, one that must’ve been refreshing for them since it had been exactly one month since he took the bump at home.
“I didn’t know it was that long here at Fenway, but it felt good to be out there,” said Chapman.
Getting Chapman back on the field wasn’t just big for him, but the team.
Almost as soon as it was announced that he had begun warming up, outfielder Jarren Duran whacked a two-run homer. Asked about the play, Duran made an unprompted mention of the chance to give the veteran closer some “cushion.”
“His presence is massive for this team,” he said. “He’s a very quiet leader, but like, when he says something or speaks to you, it’s awesome to listen to. He’s got so much information, and just having that kind of a role model to joke around with every day, he gets along with everybody and [he’s] a good person to lean on when guys need him.”
Duran declined to shed light on what Chapman said to the team, but it doesn’t change the fact Chapman’s well into the respected veteran part of his career.
With his strikeouts on Saturday, he’s now four away from Hoyt Wilhelm’s reliever regular-season strikeouts record of 1,363. Additionally, Chapman’s nine saves from tying Dennis Eckersley for ninth at 390.
On Monday, Chapman said he hopes he hits the strikeouts mark in the next few games, but with the current trend, there’s no guarantee that’ll happen. But, if Saturday, and the rest of Chapman’s season say anything, it’s that he’ll be ready when the chance presents itself.
“That’s my job. To stay ready mentally for when an opportunity comes up,” Chapman said. “Even like I said before, if I don’t get into the game, I do my job daily, my work daily, so I’m ready physically and mentally when the opportunity comes up.”
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