CINCINNATI — After Reds closer Aroldis Chapman struck out six batters in three innings over two flamethrowing displays in the first two games of the series Thursday and Friday, the Braves figured they would not have to face the Cuban colossus on Saturday.
But there he was in the ninth inning Saturday, blowing away the heart of the Braves’ order – Freddie Freeman, Justin Upton, Chris Johnson – to finish the Reds’ 1-0 win. A day after striking out four and matching a career-high with 36 pitches in two innings Friday, he struck out all three batters he faced Saturday and threw 11 of his 12 fastballs at speeds of 100-102 miles per hour.
“He’s ridiculous,” Braves closer Craig Kimbrel said Sunday morning before the series finale. “I mean, we expected him to be done yesterday, and for him to go an inning, then two innings, then come back last night….”
Kimbrel smiled before adding, “You would think he’d be done today, but you never know. I mean, he’s asking for the ball and he’s getting it. He’s been pretty impressive the last two nights.”
The hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball, Chapman leads the majors by a wide margin in strikeouts per nine innings with 17.65, ahead of Kimbrel (14.82). The 6-foot-4 left-hander has struck out at least two batters in 29 of his 42 appearances this season and struck out the side in 11 appearances.
“He’s got a special arm, that’s for sure,” Kimbrel said.
Braves rookie pitcher David Hale was asked what he thought after seeing Chapman perform.
“What do I think of Aroldis Chapman?” Hale said. “Oh my God. I think that sums it up pretty well.”
Chapman has 83 strikeouts and 18 walks in 42 1/3 innings, and his .130 opponents’ average includes .125 by left-handed batters and .132 by righties. He complements his triple-digit fastball with a devastating 89-91 mph slider.
“We were just talking about it,” Kimbrel said. “When you’ve got a guy like him throwing 100 miles per hour every fastball, I mean, when you throw that hard, as a hitter you’ve got to sit on the fastball. And he’s got two other pitches to go along with it. So if he’s throwing strikes, he’s going to be unhittable.”
Between Aug. 21, 2013 and Aug. 13, 2014, Chapman struck out at least one batter in a major-league record 49 consecutive appearances, 10 more than the previous record by Bruce Sutter in 1977.
Chapman has allowed a career-high four runs twice this season, including last week when he walked the first four batters he faced against Colorado. Other than those two four-run outings, he has a 0.86 ERA in his other 40 appearances (four earned runs in 41 2/3 innings).
“When you throw a few days in a row, two innings the second day, and in the third game you’re still throwing 100, 101, 102?” Hale said. “Oh my gosh.”
