New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman’s reaction to the José Altuve walkoff home run was a little strange. Chapman was clearly stunned — just like the rest of the sporting world — at what Altuve had just achieved. The hit won the ALCS and sent the Houston Astros to the World Series for the second time in three years.
In the wild moment, Chapman smiled.
“At that moment when the ball went out, I couldn’t believe it,” Chapman said after the game, via MLB.com. “I couldn’t believe it went out at that time of the game. For that split-second, I just couldn’t believe it.”
As Altuve rounded third base, Chapman began his walk back to the dugout with his head down.
Here’s a look at the extremely strained smile.
After the game, Chapman was in bad shape. Per MLB.com, he returned to the Yankees clubhouse, where he sat in front of his locker with a towel over his head, only lifting his gaze from the floor when his teammates patted him on the back in consolation.
On a 2-1 count, Chapman decided to throw a slider high and outside to Altuve. It’s understandable for Chapman to stay aggressive in that situation — even if he could have considered walking Altuve. But the 83-mph slider hung over the plate enough for Altuve to crush it.
When fans and media members saw Chapman’s odd reaction to the homer, they crushed him for it. (Random note: Mariano Rivera had a similar smile in 2001 after failing to secure a save against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the World Series.)
