NEW YORK _ Austin Romine knew it didn't feel right. The Yankees catcher looked up at the video board and saw that Aroldis Chapman's fastball was coming in at 95 miles an hour and went into "emergency mode."
"He looks the same to me, just wasn't coming out at 100," Romine said. "At that point I go into emergency mode and get through this inning."
They got through Thursday by going to Chapman's slider, but the drop in velocity has been a red flag. While the Yankees' closer said that his knee is fine and physically he feels fine, he has struggled to reach the high velocity that has made him so effective in his last few appearances.
"The knee is not bothering me. For speed to fluctuate like that is normal," Chapman said through a team translator. "That's what it was yesterday."
Thursday night, he touched 99 mph twice, but worked in the 95-96 range. Aaron Boone said that he thinks it is a mechanical issue with Chapman.
"The thing about Chappy, he's so mechanically kind of freakish, the way he is able to generate the type of velocity he does. So I think he's fighting it, so he's not getting that kinetic chain perfectly in sync that allows him to have that velocity," Boone said. "I don't think it's an injury concern."
Chapman did complain of soreness after throwing 39 pitches in an implosion at Fenway Sunday night, so the Yankees will have to keep an eye on their closer. They have four relievers with closing experience back there, including lefty Zach Britton, acquired last month.
If Chapman continues to struggle, you would have to expect to see Britton maybe get a chance for some saves. Right now, however, the Yankees are focused on getting Chapman back.
"I've seen the 97-98 before, we're up five or something and he needs some work, also seen 100-101 big game. Saw 104 one day, probably feeling really good that day. No one here knows what it takes (to throw) 104, so it's going to have to be on him, ask him those questions," Romine said. "I saw nothing different, the ball just wasn't coming out at 100."
