CBSSports The fire alarm was squealing at Great American Ball Park when left-hander Aroldis Chapman walked through the dugout and stepped onto a major-league field for the first time.
No, he hadnt thrown one of those triple-digit fastballs yet. Just a false alarm.
This time.
The Cuban defector joined the Cincinnati Reds before their game Tuesday night against Milwaukee, with eve fares in the majors. Will it still sizzle?
Those who have seen it firsthand have no doubt.
“Theres not a whole lot of guys like him, if any,” said pitcher Sam LeCure, who was his teammate at Triple-A Louisville.
After a moments pause, LeCure said, “Theres none.”
Hows that for an advance billing?
The 22-year-old pitcher who defected from Cuba only 13 months ago arrived in the middle of a pennant race on Tuesday. The Reds had won 12 of their last 16 games, pulling away to a six-game lead over St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
Theyre already talking playoffs in Cincinnati. And Chapmans name is part of the conversation. The Reds are confident he can handle the pressure of coming out of the bullpen with a pennant race riding on each triple-digit pitch.
“I think he can handle it,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Because if you can handle pitching for food, you can certainly handle pitching here.”
He was referring to Chapmans background in Cuba, where his ability to throw so hard made him a big-league commodity. The Reds gave him a six-year, $30.25 million deal in January, expecting him to join the rotation at some point during the season.
With more than enough starters, they moved Chapman to the bullpen last month and he excelled. A fastball that was clocked at 101 mph on scouts radar guns in spring training seemed to get better. He didnt allow a hit in his last eight appearances out of the bullpen, dominating hitters who couldnt catch up with the fastball or handle the slider and changeup that go with it.
His teammates in Louisville marveled. Whenever Chapman was on the mound, everyone watched the board in right-center field that showed the speed pitch at Louisville Slugger Field.
Even the players couldnt help but look.
“Every time he lets one go, everybody turns around or peaks,” second baseman Chris Valaika said. “You dont want to get caught looking, but you see 104 – thats something youve never seen before.”
Valaika said Chapman topped out at 104 mph while he was there. A few days ago, one of his pitches registered 105 mph. Even if the radar in Louisville is off by a couple miles per hour, thats still well above the speed limit for just about everybody else.
Imagine what thats like when the lanky pitcher with the long stride lets it go from less than 60 feet away.
its MOVING,” Valaika said. “And Im really glad hes on our side.”
Chapman doesnt speak English and wasnt available for interviews before the game on Tuesday. Baker planned to get him into a game in a low-pressure situation the first time out, although he didnt rule out letting him go with everything at stake.
“Sure, you can have those plans, but if Prince Fielder is up there, it could be, Hey, brother good luck. Cmon Aroldis,” Baker said.
The Reds brought him up before Sept. 1 to make sure he would be eligible for postseason play. Chapman might get the chance to do what left-hander David Price did for Tampa Bay two years ago, when the highly valued starter got a chance to relieve during a pennant r he was eligible for p and he helped them get to the World Series, where they lost to Philadelphia.
Theres another precedent. In 2002, the Angels called up Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez in September, got him on the postseason roster and let him take them to their first World Series title. He tied a postseason record with five wins, set a relief record with 28 playoffs strikeouts, and at age 20 became the youngest pitcher ever to win a World Series game.
Could Chapman bring some September sizzle to the Reds?
“You dont know how its going to end up,” Baker said.
