Aroldis Chapman, who is headed back to New York as the Yankees’ closer, said Chicago manager Joe Maddon misused him in the World Series on the way to the Cubs’ first championship victory since 1908.
The Cubs overcame a two-run, game-tying, eighth-inning home run allowed by the flame-throwing left-hander in Game 7 against the Cleveland Indians — one day after he was sent out in the ninth inning of Game 6, despite a seven-run Chicago lead.
“Personally, I don’t agree with the way he used me, but he is the manager and he has the strategy,” Cuba-born Chapman said on Friday through an interpreter during a conference call to officially announce his new five-year, US$86 million deal with the Yankees.
Photo: AFP
“My job is to be ready, to be ready to pitch, however that is, however many innings that is, I need to be ready for that. I need to go in and do my job,” he said.
Chapman, who entered with a 7-2 lead in the seventh inning of Game 6, said he was “tired” from his usage.
“There were couple of games, but the one I can point to is Game 6,” Chapman said. “The game was [one-sided] and I don’t think he needed to [leave] me in the ninth.”
Chapman blew a save chance in Game 7 when Indians center fielder Rajai Davis belted the game-tying homer in the eighth inning.
Chapman stayed in to toss a perfect ninth inning, and he got the win when the Cubs prevailed in the 10th.
“I never told [Maddon] about my opinion with the way he was using me,” Chapman said. “The way I feel, as baseball players, we are warriors. Our job is to be ready to do what we need to do on the field. They send me out there to pitch, I’m going to go out there and pitch.”
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