Aaron Boone Sends Message On Red Sox Star Three Years After Ugly Yankees Exit
Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman will look to redefine his postseason legacy after the best regular season of his career.
At age 37, Chapman signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Red Sox last November. It seemed like a risky bet on a 16th-year flamethrower, but it turned out to be the best possible decision the Red Sox could have made for their bullpen.
After putting up a remarkable 1.17 ERA during the regular season, Chapman turns his focus to the playoffs on Tuesday. And fittingly enough, he'll take on the team with whom he had an immeasurable number of ups and downs over the years.
Aaron Boone on Aroldis Chapman
Three years after the New York Yankees left Chapman off their playoff roster in his seventh and final season with the team, following his decision to skip a mandatory workout during the team's week off, he'll face off against his former team for the first time in October.
However, if there's any ill will left over from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, he wasn't willing to share it before the series.
“This might be his best season or certainly one of them, and that’s saying something,” Boone said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “We’ve got to see him here a couple times down the stretch. Hopefully that’s something that serves us well.
“But their bullpen has, I feel like, done a really good job of coming together. They got some different looks down there, too. They brought up some people that could play meaningful roles down there as well. So they’ll be a challenge.”
Chapman had a 2.94 ERA and 153 saves for the Yankees, making three of his nine All-Star appearances in the pinstripes. But his time there will always be remembered for the big hits he gave up -- namely, Jose Altuve's walk-off home run to end New York's season in 2019, and Mike Brosseau's home run the next season that effectively did the same.
During that 2022 season, Chapman also had to miss time late in the season due to an infection in his leg from a botched tattoo, adding to Yankee fans' consternation.
If Chapman shuts the Yankees down for a save or two in this series, it's hard to imagine those fans will grow any more sympathetic.
Yankees’ Wild Card Series Game 1 lineup revealed
With 162 games in the books, the Yankees’ second season begins tonight. The records have been reset to 0-0, and now it all comes down to a best-of-three series with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees must win twice in the next three days, or the quest for title number 28 will be over in a flash.
With hours to go until the action starts, the Yankees have announced the lineup that will take the field against Boston. It’s a righty-heavy lineup, as was anticipated with the Red Sox throwing the left-handed Garrett Crochet in Game 1:
Paul Goldschmidt will hit leadoff, the wily veteran having crushed lefties to the tune of a .336/.411/.570 slash line this year. The Yankees would love for Goldschmidt to find a way to set the table for Aaron Judge, batting second. Judge posted a cartoonish 1.279 OPS versus southpaws this year, and though he struggled a bit with Crochet himself, there’s no doubt Judge can get a hold of one against the Red sox ace:
Cody Bellinger bats third and starts in left, Giancarlo Stanton cleans up and will DH, and Amed Rosario clocks in batting fifth and playing second. Rosario proved to be a solid deadline pickup for New York, posting a .788 OPS in 16 games off the bench, and he’s got a career .800 OPS against lefties, which gives the Yankees enough confidence to pencil him in in the middle of the order.
Trent Grisham starts in center, Anthony Volpe gets the start at short, and Jose Cabellero hits eighth and plays third. Many Yankee fans surely would’ve preferred to see Volpe on the bench and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the lineup, but for today at least, Chisholm sits against a lefty (Chisholm also may still be feeling effects from the hit-by-pitch that forced him out of last Saturday’s game).
Austin Wells rounds out the lineup, Ben Rice taking a seat to start the game. Though Rice, Chisholm, and Ryan McMahon will start on the bench, all are liable to appear later in the game, whether to face a right-handed reliever or as a defensive substitute.
Also, here’s a look at the lineup for the Red Sox tonight:
So there you have it. We have the lineups; now all that’s left is to play ball. Max Fried will toe the slab at 6:08 p.m. EST, with the broadcast on ESPN. Will he deliver the Yankees a huge Game 1 win? We’ll find out soon enough.
