Yankees: Aroldis Chapman’s worst blown saves ever

When Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman is smiling, that’s typically a bad thing. It’s like an involuntary muscle twitch that only activates when his body is dealing with an extreme form of failure.

Either that, or he may or may not have just … ahem, released some tension in his pants. One or the other.

You’ve seen it end the most recent two postseasons (for all intents and purposes) when Rays utility man Mike Brosseau slammed a homer to left, following in Jose Altuve’s walk-off footsteps from 2019.

Both moments were awful, but neither was a blown save! The two games were untied quickly, and the dingers will stay with us forever, but Thursday night’s lightning-quick coughed-up lead left us thinking: Was that the most devastating Chappy blown game of all time? Or, at least, was it the least effective he’s ever been?

Removing the two postseason homers from this list (again, horrid, but not blown saves), we’ve catalogued what we believe to be the worst blown saves in Chapman’s catalogue. We’re going to stick to the Yankees here with one big exception, too; all due respect to his Reds career, but that’s not why the fans are hate-clicking right now.

We’d like to name one honorable mention, too: July 21, 2018 at Yankee Stadium against the New York Mets, when Chapman was called upon to hold onto a 7-3 lead in the ninth. The result? A walk to Kevin Plawecki, an Amed Rosario infield single, a walk to Ty Kelly, a walk to Jose Reyes, and a Brandon Nimmo HBP. The only reason it avoids placement here? Chasen Shreve entered (!) and induced a double-play grounder and a chopper for the final out.

7-6. Why? Who knows. The Yankees involved in the other games listed weren’t so lucky.

6. Aug. 28, 2020 “vs.” New York Mets

When Chapman took the mound against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium as the road team, protecting a one-run lead in a terrible stretch for the Bombers, many smelled disaster.

Count Rosario, again, among those who felt that way!

This was the second game of a seven-inning double header, inarguably the easiest type of game in which to hold a lead! And yet …

In the first contest, the Yankees raced out to a 4-0 advantage, given away with one run in the fifth and a five-run implosion in the sixth thanks to Chad Green surrendering a three-run Pete Alonso homer, followed by Dom Smith and Jake Marisnick solo shots.

In the nightcap, Chapman entered as the “away” team on his own home turf with a 3-2 lead. Gotta win. Must win. Nope. He walked Jeff McNeil, who swiftly became Billy Hamilton, who then stole second. Rosario stepped to the plate and walked Chappy off with a dinger … on the road. The embarrassment of this one, plus the context clues, place it near the top of this list.