Aroldis Chapman, set to join the New York Yankees on Monday after a 30-game suspension, said Major League Baseball’s domestic-violence policy makes it too easy for players of Latin American descent to be disproportionately punished.
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(AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek). New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) congratulates relief pitcher Andrew Miller after they defeated the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game, Friday, May 6, 2016, in New York. The four-time All-Star says he has moved beyond the incident and is more than ready to electrify fans and the Yankees with his fastball, which often gets clocked at 100 miles per hour or higher. His 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings are the most in history among pitchers with at least 300 career innings.
But there will be times that won’t be the case and Girardi will now have the luxury of stretching that bullpen out. “This is the country that has given me such a unique opportunity”, said Chapman, who spent the past five weeks toiling in extended spring training.
The Cuban national team is keeping its policy that only players that play in Cuba are up for selection to global tournaments.
A four-time All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds, Chapman is expected to take over ninth-inning duties in NY. He reiterated that stance Sunday. “I think it shortens games, I think it gives you three closers that you can interchange”.
“I think that he’s an established closer, he’s a guy that throws incredibly hard, he’s got incredible stuff and he’s got a great track record”, Miller said. While adding Chapman back into the bullpen will help the Yankees win games, the bullpen hasn’t been the problem for them.
You may have heard that Toronto’s new all-ages video game convention, the Enthusiast Gaming Live.
His talent – Chapman has 145 saves and a 1.90 ERA in 255 2/3 innings since becoming a closer in 2012 – is undeniable. Chapman has been used exclusively as a closer since 2012 and has little experience in any other role.
But it is still unclear who will be the last man to hand him the ball.
Girardi hadn’t announced yet how he’d handle the set-up duty between the right-handed Betances and the lefty Miller, though “it could be beneficial to use it as a matchup sort of thing even though both of them have been extremely successful against either side”, Girardi said.
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“I’m very humble of Betances and Miller moving down in the order to allow me to pitch the ninth”, said Chapman, who during his suspension completed the process of becoming a USA citizen. Chapman said there was an argument but he was pushed down by Barnea’s brother, then got a handgun and fired eight shots into a wall and window while locked in his garage. Prosecutors didn’t press charges. Chapman was originally going to be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers but the deal fell apart because of the allegations, which the 28-year-old was vague about when asked what he learned from it.
