Aroldis Chapman closed out the All-Star Game with three straight strikeouts, showing off elite velocity and a mix of pitches to keep hitters guessing. He started with J.T. Realmuto, delivering a steady stream of fastballs from 97 to 100 mph. Realmuto couldn’t catch up, going down swinging. Max Muncy stepped in looking for the same heat, but Chapman switched gears. He went with a slider that missed badly, then surprised Muncy by sticking with it. After one called strike and one swing-and-miss, Muncy struck out chasing another sharp slider.
Yasmani Grandal was the last chance. Chapman opened with a fastball in on the hands that Grandal fouled off while laughing in disbelief. Then came the slider. Chapman mixed in a few high fastballs to mess with timing but went back to the slider for the strikeout. Three batters, three strikeouts, and a save in the All-Star Game. Chapman used pure power and smart sequencing, switching from all fastballs in the first at-bat to mostly sliders in the next two. It was dominant and efficient.