The Rangers clung to a one-run lead in the eighth inning of Game 1 against the Orioles, and handed the ball to Aroldis Chapman, whose command completely vanished. His first few pitches missed badly, mostly sliders and fastballs sailing outside or low. Nothing was working, and he walked the leadoff batter without throwing a single competitive pitch. Things got worse when he spiked a wild splitter, his only one of the night, allowing the runner to advance to second with no outs. The Orioles had a huge chance, and the bullpen phone lit up immediately.
Despite the meltdown start, Chapman stayed in and finally grooved a fastball at 99 to get back on track. A ground ball followed, starting a slick double play turned by the Rangers infield. The runner moved to third, but two outs changed the inning’s tone. Chapman then pounded two first-pitch strikes to the next hitter, hitting 100 and 101 mph. After a few more low heaters and a slider fouled off, he finally ended the threat with a high fastball swing-and-miss. He escaped the jam after barely throwing a handful of strikes all inning, thanks to pure velocity and some help from his defense. The Rangers held the lead, and Chapman’s wild but effective outing didn’t cost them.