WASHINGTON — With Aroldis Chapman expected to opt out of the final two years of his contract, which has $30 million remaining on it, the Yankees’ closer was at Nationals Park on Saturday night to accept the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award.
Chapman was joined by the Brewers’ Josh Hader, who was named the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year for the second straight year.
Chapman and Hader were presented the awards by The Hartford. Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers were joined in the balloting by Billy Wagner and John Franco.
After smiling for pictures with Hader, Rivera, Hoffman and commissioner Rob Manfred, Chapman ducked out of a press conference room door and moved away from four New York reporters who wanted to question Chapman about his expected opt-out. And it would have been nice to know how Chapman was dealing with the 2-1 slider he threw to Jose Altuve in Game 6 of the ALCS that ended the Yankees’ season with a two-run homer.
Chapman and Hader tied for third in saves among major league relievers. San Diego’s Kirby Yates led with 41 and Houston’s Roberto Osuna had 38.
“For me to receive this award is an honor because of how much it means to us relievers,’’ Chapman said. “This is my first time winning this award but what makes it really special is having the opportunity to wear the same uniform and to pitch from the same mound as Mariano Rivera.”
Hader said he was honored because of the committee’s credentials.
“Winning the NL Reliever of the Year for the second time is an honor that I don’t take for granted,’’ Hader said. “It is especially humbling when you consider the panel of all-time greats who vote on the award. I want to thank [Brewers manager] Craig Counsell, my coaches and especially my teammates without whom I would not be in this position.’’
Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki blocked a ball with his right hand in the sixth inning of Game 3 Friday night and suffered a hip flexor injury in the process and was not in Saturday’s Game 4 lineup. It was the first time Suzuki didn’t start in this World Series.
That meant Yan Gomes started and caught Patrick Corbin. It also had Nationals manager Dave Martinez looking for word on Suzuki because Martinez didn’t want to be without a backup catcher should Suzuki be unavailable for a few days and something happens to Gomes. The Nationals can drop Suzuki and add a catcher.
“That’s something we’re going to talk about with him and the doctor and [trainer] Paul Lessard and see where we’re at. Obviously we need a backup catcher,’’ said Martinez, who would likely tab Raudy Reed, who played six big league games this year for the Nationals. “If [Suzuki] is not going to be able to play for a few days, we’re going to have to do something else.’’
According to Martinez, Suzuki had an MRI exam on Saturday and he was on the roster for Game 4.
“He was available in an emergency. Hopefully he feels a lot better tomorrow. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He usually catches Max [Scherzer]. If he feels good, then possibly he gets a chance to play.”
Scherzer, the Game 5 starter, mentioned he and Suzuki were a good pairing but was encouraged to throw to Gomes.
“I mean, we’ve worked really well together, just being in sync of what pitch to throw and even in big situations,’’ Scherzer said. “But I’ve also worked with Yan this year several times. Even when Zuke was down there in September, there was a handful of games where I was throwing to Yan.’’
Scherzer threw to Suzuki in 16 games and posted a 2.08 ERA. With Gomes behind the plate for a dozen games Scherzer had a 4.09 ERA.
Gerrit Cole starts for the Astros in a rematch of Game 1 when he gave up five runs and eight hits (two homers) in a 5-4 Nationals victory.
This is the 46th time the World Series has been tied, 2-2. Of the previous 45, the winner of Game 5 has won the Series 30 times (67 percent) — including six times in the past 13 years.
Jose Altuve went 2-for-5 and extended his postseason on-base streak to 24 games going back to Game 1 of the 2017 World Series. The streak is tied for fifth in major league history. Miguel Cabrera holds the record with 31.
https://nypost.com/2019/10/27/yankees-aroldis-chapman-wins-reliever-award-ducks-opt-out-question/
2019-10-27 08:00:00Z
52780415986399
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar