Bill Livesey first saw Aroldis Chapman pitch live during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The lefty, pitching for the Cuban national team, was hardly at his best that day at San Diego’s Petco Park. He wasn’t hit hard, but control issues caused him to give up three runs in 2 1/3 innings to a Japan team that featured Ichiro Suzuki, among a handful of major leaguers.
Livesey, who was scouting Chapman for the Yankees, saw what he expected, despite the subpar results.
“Some people have swing-and-miss stuff with one, maybe two pitches,” Livesey said. “He had it with three.