Chapman Records Milestone Save After Minor Adjustments

Chapman has been inconsistent since returning from the I.L., but some subtle tweaks helped the Yankees closer on Thursday night.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Aroldis Chapman’s first save since Aug. 5 was also the 300th of his career.

The Yankees closer became the 31st pitcher in MLB history to reach that milestone Thursday, shutting the door on a homer-heavy, 7-6, New York win over the A’s. The victory was the Yankees’ 12th in a row.

A starter before defecting from Cuba and signing with Cincinnati in 2010, Chapman said he never pictured recording so many saves when his major league career began.

“To be honest, no, I never thought about it,” he said. “The beginning, I wasn’t even a closer.

“I’m very happy to get to this number. Extremely happy with it.”

Aroldis Chapman reflects on reaching 300 career saves:

"I'm very happy to get to this number. Now it's a matter of seeing what's next and trying to get to the next achievement" pic.twitter.com/wIQKOV55A3

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 27, 2021

The Yankees must be happy, too. Chapman’s milestone came with minimal worry at a time when his performance has been a bit shaky. The southpaw temporarily lost his closing job earlier this season, and he had to be pulled from two of his first three games back from the injured list. Chapman’s most recent outing before Thursday saw him walk in a run that cut the Yankees’ lead to one against Atlanta.

His 300th save, however, featured no more than an infield single. Starling Marte swiped second, creating some panic with lefty masher Matt Olson at the plate, but Chapman induced a ground ball to end the game.

Chapman’s low-drama appearance followed pregame conversations with Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and bullpen coach Mike Harkey. Chapman said he watched video from previous seasons and tinkered with “mechanical stuff.” Aaron Boone added that Chapman had a chance to put the changes into practice during his pregame catch.

Another modification: Chapman relied heavily on his famous fastball, a pitch he had previously shown little confidence in following the I.L. stint.

Chapman said he made it a point to use his four-seamer more. Twelve of his 13 pitches against the A’s were heaters, and he was mostly in or around the strike zone. The one splitter Chapman threw struck out a chasing Mark Canha.

His manager was pleased with the results.

“I thought he did a good job on the attack,” Boone said. “You saw him use his fastball tonight and not shy away from the fastball. I think the little, subtle adjustment he made in his posture on the mound really helped him.”

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