New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman injured his pitching hand during locker room celebration after sweeping the Minnesota Twins.
The Bombers are officially advancing to the next round of the American League playoffs.
On Monday night, the New York Yankees finished off an American League Division Series sweep of the Minnesota Twins. They clinched the series with a 5-1 victory, with left-hander Aroldis Chapman closing it out in the ninth inning.
However, they may have experienced a setback afterward. During the locker room celebration, Chapman had his pitching hand hit with a bottle.
“I was just celebrating and everyone was jumping around,” Chapman said through an interpreter, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I got hit with a bottle, but it’s fine.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had noticed the bandage around Chapman’s left hand in the locker room. Cashman ultimately revealed that Chapman had a “huge smile on his face,” and that he thinks the expression “was a good sign.”
Hopefully, Chapman’s reaction and smile after the fact translate to no actual damage in his hand. The Yanks will need him out of the bullpen when they face either the Tampa Bay Rays or Houston Astros. Game 4 of that series will take place on Tuesday night at 7:07 p.m. ET, as Houston is currently leading 2-1.
Chapman appeared twice during this past series, once in the Yanks’ 10-4 win in Game 1 and then again in this past Game 3 victory. In total, the veteran reliever threw 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and zero earned runs. He struck out four batters and walked two.
