VIDEO: Aroldis Chapman Probably Should've Won All-Star MVP With Absolutely Filthy 9th Inning
By Will Fowler
Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game was fun, wasn't it? Clutch hitting, flashy fielding and lights out pitching were all on full display, and when the dust settled, it was Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman who was called upon by American League manager Alex Cora to slam the door. And boy, did he ever.
Aroldis Chapman gets the save in the All-Star Game, a breakdown.@TalkinYanks pic.twitter.com/lXWM4wx1SF
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) July 10, 2019
One inning. Three punch-outs. Against some of the National League's best. Have a night.
With a performance like that in such a tight ballgame, you'd think Chapman would be the lock for the game's MVP. Instead, the honor went to Cleveland's own Shane Bieber, who struck out the side in his own inning of work.
All Star MVP Shane Bieber, 95mph Fastball (foul) and 84mph Knuckle Curve (swinging K), Overlay pic.twitter.com/O9UbtNjYDP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 10, 2019
Bieber was filthy and in front of his home crowd, no less. But one would think that at least performance-wise, didn't Chapman's outing carry a heck of a lot more weight than Bieber's?
Obviously, there's more that goes into MVP voting than just the outing itself. You have to imagine fan voting was dominated by hometown Cleveland fans and that the league liked the idea of a hometown player winning the award. Yet, Chapman going home empty-handed feels like a robbery.