Aroldis Chapman (35, Kansas City Royals), the “fastball pitcher” whom the majority thought was over, is unusual this season. He continues his scoreless streak by spraying fast balls that were nothing short of a trademark.
Chapman took the mound in the bottom of the 7th inning in the 2023 Major League (ML) away game against the Los Angeles Angels held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on the 23rd (Korean time) and recorded 2 strikeouts in 1 inning. Using Chapman’s good pitching as a springboard, Kansas City won an 11-8 come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
It was perfect pitching not only in terms of results but also content.메이저사이트 The opponent was Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon, the top cleanup trio in the major leagues. The sinker at 102.9 miles per hour (approximately 165.6 km), who overpowered Trout with a swing strikeout, was the highest restraint of the day. Subsequently, Ohtani stepped back with a ball that floated in the infield after two pitches, and Rendon struck out with a miss on a 91-mile (approximately 146.4 km) fastball deep inside the body.
In the meantime, Chapman’s performance this season was 8 games, 1 save, 0 average ERA, and 15 strikeouts in 8 innings. Looking at his current performance alone, this is the image of Chapman that many major league fans remembered. In his prime, Chapman threw a ball at 105.8 miles per hour (about 170.2 km), the highest speed approved by the major leagues, and was called “the man who throws the fastest ball in the world.”
He was selected as an All-Star seven times and was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2016, where he played an active role for three months and became the main player in winning the World Series in 108 years. In 2019, he went well, receiving the best treatment as a closer (3 years, $48 million), but gradually fell into an ordinary bullpen pitcher as his speed decreased and his pitches faltered.
In particular, the average fastball restraint, which reached 101.1 miles per hour (approximately 162.7 km) in 2016, fell to 97.5 miles per hour (approximately 156.9 km) last year. In that situation, the guaranteed $3.75 million, up to $8.75 million, one-year contract signed with Kansas City in the free agent market convinced such a gaze.
However, after recovering his restraint during his prime at the beginning of the season, expectations for Chapman are also reviving as even Trout’s bat, the best hitter in the league, is spinning on this day. When statistician Rob Friedman shared Chapman’s pitching on social media, fans who had been thrilled by the different look left explosive reactions, such as “Chapman is back at the age of 35” and “Perfect comeback”.