Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman made his first appearance in the playoffs wearing the Texas Rangers uniform after joining the team via a trade deadline move in 2023. Chapman, who doesn’t have the best playoff track record, certainly raises nerves when he takes the mound, especially in a high-tension game where many have made mistakes.
Nicknamed the “Cuban Missile,” Chapman took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with a four-run lead, and his team had yet to allow any runs. He faced the reigning batting champion Yandy Díaz, Randy Arozarena, and Harold Ramírez.
Chapman dealt with Díaz using eight pitches, inducing a groundout to shortstop Corey Seager, who threw to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for the out. Then, he struck out fellow countryman Randy Arozarena with just three pitches for the second out of the inning. Finally, Colombian hitter Harold Ramírez, like Díaz, grounded out to the shortstop and was thrown out at first.
Aroldis Chapman, 101mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/7vZF5a9cPP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 3, 2023
With this appearance, Aroldis Chapman became the Cuban player with the most postseason appearances in MLB history, surpassing Orlando Hernández, Yuli Gurriel, and Yasmani Grandal.
Rangers’ starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery scattered six hits over seven innings, contributing to Texas’s 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in their first game of the American League Wild Card Series. Corey Seager and Josh Jung drove in runs, and the Rangers capitalized on four errors by the Rays, who also struggled offensively in front of a crowd of only 19,704 people (approximately 5,300 below the stated capacity) at Tropicana Field.
Montgomery, a 30-year-old left-hander acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline, retired 14 of his last 16 batters. He struck out pinch hitter Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay’s top minor league prospect, to end his outing with five strikeouts and no walks.
Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect eighth inning, and José Leclerc prevented a walk in the ninth to complete a six-hit performance.
