New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has been enjoying one of his best seasons in 2019, putting on a display of utter dominance throughout August.
Throughout the 2019 season for the New York Yankees, there have been several standout performances. One that might be going under the radar is that of closer Aroldis Chapman, who just finished a dominant month of August.
The 31-year-old southpaw has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. Not only has he done so with the missile of a fastball, but he’s also sported a nasty slider to serve as the perfect complement. That combination has been lethal and a big reason for Champan’s success.
As the month of August came to an end, Chapman holds the American League lead in saves (36). Of course, it helps that he’s on the Yankees. He’s getting more opportunities with the team leading the league in wins. But he’s been a consistent factor in the Yankees dominance.
Following a troubling month of June, the Yankees closer had an utterly dominant month of August. He appeared in nine games. He had eight save opportunities—converting all eight in nine innings pitched. His 16 strikeouts in nine innings was the highest rate he’s had in any month this season. It was also the only month in which he didn’t allow an earned run.
Chapman also lowered his ERA from 2.74 on Aug. 2 down to 2.26, which was his last appearance on Aug. 26. His consistency over the month of August has helped the Yankees create a stronghold on the AL East while helping them compete for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
As the Yankees work their way toward the playoffs in the final month of the season, they will need Chapman to continue his consistency. It won’t always be there. That’s the nature of the game. But having him there to shorten contests as he does consistently will make life much easier for the Yankees.
There is the topic of his future following the season. Chapman has an opt-out clause following the 2019 campaign. Whether he will exercise it remains to be seen but should decide against it, the Yankees would have an elite closer for the next two seasons under contract.
There have been several reasons why the Yankees have had success this year. One of them has been the dominance of Chapman, which he put on display throughout the entire month of August.