Chicago: Cuban closing relief ace Aroldis Chapman threw a career-high 2 2/3 innings for the final outs Sunday and keep the Chicago Cubs in quest of their first World Series title since 1908.
The 28-year-old left-hander, known for his record 105-mph fastball and strikeout skills, shut down Cleveland rallies in the seventh and eighth innings as the Cubs edged the Indians 3-2 and pulled within 3-2 in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final.
Obtained in a July trade with the New York Yankees, Chapman earned the save by turning in one of the most impressive closing efforts ever seen in the World Series, the longest since Madison Bumgarner’s five-inning save to seal the title for San Francisco in game seven of the 2014 Series.
“Chappy coming in and doing what he has been doing for us since he came over here, and even before that, is pretty unbelievable to see,” said Cubs starter and winner Jon Lester, a two-time World Series champion.
Chapman, who defected from Cuba while in the Netherlands in 2009, struck out four and surrendered only one hit after entering much earlier than normal, a possibility Cubs manager Joe Maddon warned him about before the must-win game.
“You want to talk in advance of the moment. We did. He was definitely aware of what may happen,” Maddon said. “That was our best opportunity, I thought, based on our bullpen usage recently.
“He’s actually kind of fresh. He hasn’t been overused in the last part of the season nor throughout the play-offs.”
Chapman’s previous career-long was a 2 1/3-inning effort in July against the Indians while pitching for the Yankees. But his ability to go beyond what he had done before was what inspired the Cubs so much.
“This guy is used to getting three outs and he goes 2 2/3. That was a huge uplift for our team,” Lester said. “He was fired up. We were all fired up. That was huge for us. That was unbelievable for us to see him do that, bite the bullet and do it.”
Chapman watched Lester roll through six innings and expected Maddon’s talk of a long night would not happen, but reliever Carl Edwards allowed the potential tying run to reach second in the seventh and in came the call.
“The way he was pitching I didn’t expect to come in so early, but I mentally prepared myself,” Chapman said. “I physically prepared myself to come in as early as possible. And well, things came out the way they came out in terms of him being taken out, and I was ready to come in at a moment’s notice.
“I’m always prepared for the ninth inning. That’s my job. I understand that, but I always appreciate it if they let me know that I’m going to pitch more than the ninth inning. That’s fine with me.”
In the eighth inning, Cleveland’s Rajai Davis stole third base, but Chapman calmly struck out Francisco Lindor to end the last Indians threat.
“Before the runner got to third I was concentrating on making sure if I could see if I had a chance to get him out,” Chapman said. “Once he got to third, I concentrated strictly on Lindor and getting him out at the plate.”
— AFP
