Aroldis Chapman, the New York Yankees closer, will miss the first two games of the 2021 season. Yesterday he had his suspension hearing for throwing at the head of Mike Brosseau at the bottom of the ninth inning of a game on September 1 at Tropicana Field in a game that the Yankees won 5-3.
Chapman was originally suspended for three games, but that was overturned by a special assistant to the commissioner, John McHale Jr., and reduced to two days. The original suspension was announced shortly after the incident by Chris Young, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of baseball operations.
The altercation happened during a tense game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays on September 1 at the Rays Tropicana Field. Chapman threw a 101 mph fastball near Brosseau’s head on his first pitch to the pinch-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory over the Rays on Sept. 1. Umpires convened before issuing warnings to both benches, and Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was ejected after coming onto the field to argue.
The Yankees and Rays have a history of throwing at each other, and it all boiled over when Chapman appeared to throw at the head of Brosseau. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash in an after-game interview seemed to threaten the Yankees by saying:
“We’re talking about a 100-mph fastball over a young man’s head,” Cash said. “It’s poor judgment, poor coaching, it’s just poor teaching, what they’re doing.
“The last thing I’ll say on it: I’ve got a whole damn stable of guys who throw 98 mph. Period.”
As it turned out, Brosseau got his “revenge.” Mike Brosseau was the new hero in the Tampa Bay region, as he homered off his arch-nemesis Aroldis Chapman to bring the Rays to the ALCS.
Clint Frazier’s girlfriend responsible for the big change?
Clint Frazier has had a long road to being an everyday player for the New York Yankees. That road has been filled with bumps, bruises, lousy field play, immaturity, and snarky comments and behavior.
This past season a new Clint Frazier appeared on the field. Great hitting and superior fielding led Yankee manager Aaron Boone to make him a regular player late in the season. It all became noticeable in summer camp when in the very first exhibition game, Frazier was the only one who chooses to wear a mask when hitting and on the field. When asked about it, he said it was no big deal; he needs to protect his fellow players.
Although Frazier has a quick bat and hits for contact, and shows power, his fieldwork has always dogged him. After one lousy game on the field, Frazier refused to face the media in a very immature move. Yankee players always take questions from the media. Later, when sent down to Scranton, he had many snarky comments and removed everything Yankees from his social media.
We may now know that his girlfriend may deserve the credit for the big change. Kaylee Gambadoro, whom he has been linked to since the summer, a happy birthday on Wednesday — and it came with a telling caption.
“went from Scranton’s bad boy to New York’s best behaved because of this one. I love youuuuuu scoop! from her instagram account.”