When the Yankees’ bullpen gate opened and Aroldis Chapman jogged toward the pitcher’s mound, the typically staid Yankee Stadium came to life, and the baseball game morphed into a carnival act.
Heavy-metal music blared, and flaming graphics lit up the scoreboard. Relievers in the bullpen made side bets on how fast Chapman’s fastball would top out, and fans’ oohs and aahs were based on the speed his pitches registered, not their location.
With the Yankees in need of a distraction from their disappointing start, the debut of Chapman, the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball, was most welcome.