Chicago Cubs

Cubs manager Joe Maddon defends his use of Aroldis Chapman in World Series

Published Dec. 17, 2016 12:22 p.m. ET

Chris Bahr

Aroldis Chapman helped the Chicago Cubs win their first World Series championship in 108 years last month, though he didn’t necessarily agree with how manager Joe Maddon used him during the postseason. And now Maddon has responded to his former closer’s criticism.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call Friday after his five-year, $86 million deal with the New York Yankees became official, Chapman was especially critical of Maddon’s handling of him in Game 6 of the World Series. In that game, Chapman entered the game with the Cubs leading the Cleveland Indians 7-2 with two outs in the seventh inning. Chapman stranded two Indians baserunners by inducing an inning-ending groundout.

Aroldis Chapman

However, Maddon left Chapman in to pitch the eighth inning and the first batter of the ninth inning. In all, Chapman threw 20 pitches in the Cubs’ 9-3 win. When asked about that Friday, Chapman issued this response through his interpreter (via the New York Post):

“I believed there were a couple times where maybe I shouldn’t have been put in the game and he put me in, so personally I don’t agree with the way he used me. But he is the manager and he had the strategy. My job is to be ready, to be ready to pitch, whatever that is, however many games it is, I need to be ready for that. I need to go in and do my job.’’

“Would I do it differently? No. There is no Game 7 without winning Game 6. And there is no Game 8 if you don’t win Game 7. That’s why you do what you have to do.

“I appreciate what he said. If he feels that way, he did not tell me about that at the moment or after the moment. At the end of the day, man, we would not have won without him, and I appreciate everything he did. But I promise everything we did do, we did with his consent by talking to him prior to the game.’’