New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman may have put the final nail in the coffin for the Yankees 2021 season as he blows another game for the team. On Wednesday night the Yankees faced the LA Angels for the third game of what is a four game series set (GM 4 rescheduled for AUG 16.)
In the game we saw the pinstripes take down Angels ace Shohei Ohtani not even three innings into the game, forcing the Angles to go to their bullpen early as the Yankees had a commanding lead. Going into the top of the 9th inning Yankees Manager Aaron Boone brought closer Aroldis Chapman in to get the final three outs in what was a non-save situation as the Yankees had a 8-4 lead. After a hit and several straight walks the bases were loaded with Jared Walsh at the plate. On a 1-0 count Walsh hit a game tying grand slam, taking Chapman out of the game. Yankees would end up losing 11-8, allowing a total of 7 runs in the 9th.
Overall the loss goes to Lucas Luetge (2-1), but it falls Chapman more than anything. How do you come in the 9th with a 4-run lead and blow it in a span of minutes? You also have to put blame on Aaron Boone who just stood in the dugout with his arm on his leg high on the step chewing like there is not bases loaded in front of him. Boone and Chapman lost the game for the Yankees, but what Chapman did could very well of lost the Yankees the season as a whole. It is very hard for teams to come back after a heart breaking loss like that.