Chapman ready to close for Yanks after suspension
NEW YORK - Aroldis Chapman's nameplate and No. 54 are in place above his locker, which has already been stocked with T-shirts, caps, jerseys and gloves.
No question about it, the New York Yankees are ready for the long-awaited arrival of their new star closer.
Chapman was activated before Monday's game against the Royals after serving a 29-game suspension under baseball's domestic violence policy. The left-hander from Cuba, a four-time All-Star with a fastball that regularly exceeds 100 mph, will immediately move into the ninth-inning role for an imposing relief corps that already features Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.
''We have a chance to be maybe the best bullpen in baseball,'' Chapman said through a translator Sunday at Yankee Stadium, with two sparkling chains dangling from his neck and a shiny earring in each lobe. ''The quality of arms that we have, it's amazing.''
To some, the addition of Chapman gives the Yankees an embarrassment of riches in the late innings, only incrementally strengthening an area of strength on a last-place team that's struggled to score and get steady starting pitching.
New York is 91-0 over the past two seasons when leading after eight innings. The team is 83-2 during that stretch when ahead after seven, and 73-4 when in front after six. That's all since Miller, the 2015 Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year in the American League, signed on as a free agent.
Miller has said all along he'll cede the closer role with no fuss, despite all his consistent success the past two seasons.
''What do you want me to do? You want me to throw a fit? I think the goal here is to win,'' he said. ''Wins are what's fun at the end of the day. It doesn't matter if you're saving games for a last-place team.''