Chapman Caught Napping ...... Shades of Orioles-Yankees

[OFFNY]

o

In the 8th inning of last night's World Series game, Aroldis Chapman was caught napping on an infield single to the right side of the infield. The Cubs' 1st baseman made an excellent diving stab of a ground ball ....... but he had nobody to throw it to.

For myself, I immediately thought of the Orioles-Yankees game earlier this season.

The Orioles were trailing the Yankees by a score of 1-0, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. It looked like they might waste yet another chance to score when Matt Wieters hit a 2-out, 2-run single to give the Orioles the lead....... but the Orioles got an additional 3rd run on the same play when Aroldis Chapman failed to back up the throw to home plate, giving the Orioles an insurance run.

Last night, Chapman was able to get out of the inning without his gaffe costing his team.

[Aristotelian]

Partly napping, but he is also lefty and has a crazy delivery that jerks him away from 1B. He is basically giving away a close play to a fast runner.

[Ruzious]

And what stuck out to me is that he pitched brilliantly that game.

[Tryptamine]

And what stuck out to me is that he pitched brilliantly that game.

Hate the man, but on that night he was amazing. He was still topping 100MPH at 40 pitches.

[OFFNY]

Partly napping, but he is also lefty and has a crazy delivery that jerks him away from 1B. He is basically giving away a close play to a fast runner.

o

I think that there is a good chance that the speedy Indians runner would have been safe anyway, but the fact that Chapman was nowhere near 1st base on a ground ball right up the 1st baseline was an obvious mental error (as was his failure to back up home plate against the Orioles in the bottom of the 8th inning back in June.)

[Ruzious]

o

I think that there is a good chance that the speedy Indians runner would have been safe anyway, but the fact that Chapman was nowhere near 1st base on a ground ball right up the 1st baseline was an obvious mental error (as was his failure to back up home plate against the Orioles in the bottom of the 8th inning back in June.)

Since I've never seen a lefty throw that hard with a delivery that violent headed away from first base, I can't tell that it's even physically possible that he could've beaten the runner. Probably best for him not making the sudden twist it would take to do so, imo - considering how dominant he is. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[OFFNY]

o

I think that there is a good chance that the speedy Indians runner would have been safe anyway, but the fact that Chapman was nowhere near 1st base on a ground ball right up the 1st baseline was an obvious mental error (as was his failure to back up home plate against the Orioles in the bottom of the 8th inning back in June.)

Since I've never seen a lefty throw that hard with a delivery that violent headed away from first base, I can't tell that it's even physically possible that he could've beaten the runner. Probably best for him not making the sudden twist it would take to do so, imo - considering how dominant he is. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

o

I don't.

I think that it's a coincidence that the Indians runner happened to be as fast as he was.

I think that if it were Mike Napoli running, he would not have covered first base. I think that he simply forgot, as did the FOX announcers.

[Ruzious]

o

I don't.

I think that it's a coincidence that the Indians runner happened to be as fast as he was.

I think that if it were Mike Napoli running, he would not have covered first base. I think that he simply forgot, as did the FOX announcers.

Fair enough - reasonable people can come to different conclusions there. I think we're both reasonable. In any event, the most important thing to take away from his performance is that he was magnificent.