The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays simply hate each other. It's been like that for years and that's not likely to change any time soon, with both teams fighting for the supremacy of the AL East.
Rays and Yankees are always a close pitch away from clearing the benches, and that's exactly what happened a couple of nights away when Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 mph pitch over Mike Brosseau's head.
Given the team's histories, it's pretty fair to think that Chapman did that on purpose. Then again, the flamethrower has had some struggles with his command and has barely pitched at all this season. Also, the Yankees were up 2 runs with 2 outs in the top of the 9th.
At the end of the day, Kevin Cash and Aaron Boone said some things, the players cussed each other out, and the league handed the Cuban a three-game suspension for his alleged role in the altercation.
Aroldis Chapman Will Appeal His Suspension
That's why Chapman tried to clear the air and explain that he had no intention whatsoever of hurting Brosseau. He admitted that he's struggled with his command all year long and it's still trying to get back in shape:
“To explain the whole situation. Let this be clear: I had no intention on hitting anybody at all. If you look at my career and you look at the years that I have played in this league, I’ve never had any issues or ever been in a situation where I’ve hit anybody on purpose. Of course there were pitches that are close to hitters. But there was never any intention to hit anybody," Chapman started.
Chapman went on to add that he believes the suspension was harsh and unfair and that he intends to appeal it right away. Therefore, he'll be available to pitch tonight when the Yankees face the Mets:
“I think it was a little harsh. That’s the reason we’re going to appeal the decision. I understand when you take a look at the pitch and the velocity on the pitch and how close the pitch was,” The Cuban said. “Yeah, it looks bad. It’s obvious. But I can tell you right now that I had no intention on hitting anybody. Fastball command … it’s something that I’ve been dealing with the whole year. If you look at the stats and look where my pitches have landed, it will show," Chapman concluded.
To be fair and look at the bigger picture, 16 out of the 26 fastballs Chapman has thrown this season have gone way outside of the strike zone. So maybe, this time, he should get the benefit of the doubt.
