ALCS: Aroldis Chapman explains smiling after José Altuves homer

Table of Content

• Aroldis Chapman: Jose Altuve's Actions After Walk-off vs. Yankees 'Suspicious'
• Yankees' Aroldis Chapman says he's responsible for home run by Astros' Jose Altuve, but . . .
• 2019 ALDS Game 1 vs. Rays (No.
• 2019 ALDS Game 5 vs. Rays (No.
• 'Altuve did it again' with walk-off HR vs. Yanks
• Fantasy football waiver wire: Should you keep or cut these 6 players ahead of Week 15?
• 2017 ALDS Game 1 vs Boston at Minute Maid Park

Chapman noted José Altuve's celebration after winning the ALCS over New York was, "a little suspicious." The speculation, of course, is that Altuve was wearing a wire of some kind that allowed him to get the signs in real time. Altuve’s actions afterward lent credence to that speculation; as he reached home plate, he instructed his celebrating teammates not to tear at his jersey and even clutched at it.

Keep reading for a look at where each of Altuve's postseason home runs stack up. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Houston Astros batters didn't use wearable devices such as buzzers as part of the team's larger sign-stealing scheme, but New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman appears unconvinced. "I knew we had already lost three and it wasn't going to be fun going to the break losing a fourth game," he said. "It was pretty amazing how Altuve did it again. He's a guy with a big heart, the face of this team. … I would say Altuve, the guy's done it for many years. Seeing him out there and when he got to the plate, we know something big is going to happen." "It was 100 percent coming off after that home run," said rookie outfielder Chas McMcCormick, who keyed the rally with a two-run double.

Aroldis Chapman: Jose Altuve's Actions After Walk-off vs. Yankees 'Suspicious'

"It's incredible," said Astros starter Justin Verlander, who is lined up to start Game 2, likely against Washington's Stephen Strasburg. "I keep saying incredible, but it really is. The Nationals have a great rotation, have a great four starters. I like our rotation as well. It should be a great series." The Nationals likely will counter with Max Scherzer, making the Series opener the first of a series of high-profile pitching confrontations. "We're not done yet," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "This series could have gone either way. The last series could have gone either way. We knew we had built a team to win. Now we get a chance to prove it."

After 107 regular-season wins, the Astros ended up where the consensus figured them to be -- at least, the consensus of baseball pundits and the betting markets. Their path was rocky at times -- the five-game AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the early struggles against New York -- but that's how October baseball goes. Now, Houston is positioned to stake claim to the dynastic throne the Yankees have occupied so often in baseball's history.

Yankees' Aroldis Chapman says he's responsible for home run by Astros' Jose Altuve, but . . .

They have improved from 84 wins to 101 to 103 to 107 in the past four years, the trajectory of the rare group immune to complacency. One of the greatest challenges in baseball today is the virus of complacency that attacks from within once players and teams win a championship. It is human nature, especially when it is so hard to win just once. No team has defended its World Series title for 19 straight years, the longest stretch in history. But you must figure that Altuve will be in the middle of whatever drama unfolds.

In the top of the fourth, Altuve hit a solo shot off Kendall Wright, putting the Astros up 2-0, although they would go on to drop the game to the Braves, 3-2. In a game where the Atros’ offense struggled mightily, Altuve still showed up. In the bottom of the first, Altuve cranked a solo homer off Jesus Luzardo that tied the game at 1. Although, this proved to be a slugfest that the Astros lost 9-7. White Sox reliever Ryan Tepera suggested the Astros were up to some "sketchy stuff" at Minute Maid Park after his team's 12-6 win in Game 3.

2019 ALDS Game 1 vs. Rays (No.

Instead, it's Houston that might someday be remembered as the team of the decade that's coming to a close. For that to happen, the Astros need to take one more step, and they are well aware that they have unfinished business. The Astros capped their third straight 100-win season with another AL title, and in doing so, they ensured that the Yankees go without a pennant in the 2010s, marking their first decade without a league title since before they acquired Babe Ruth in 1920. Houston Astros Jose Altuve celebrates his two-run home run with Martin Maldonado during the seventh inning of Game 4 of the American League Division Series, at Dodger Stadium, Thursday, October 8, 2020, in Los Angeles.

Altuve walloped it off the big wall in leftfield for a two-run homer and a 6-4 epic win. Catcher Gary Sanchez for some reason set up in the middle of the plate, which is not where Chapman should be throwing a slider. But it’s when Chapman’s slider does nothing—it just hangs there like an 84-mph changeup—that it becomes an invitation for big trouble.

Just when it seemed like the momentum of American League Championship Series Game 6 had entirely swung back in New York’s favor, the Houston Astros punched their ticket to the World Series in thrilling fashion. Jose Altuve walloped a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Chapman, sending Minute Maid Park into a frenzy and leaving the visitors with a bad taste in their mouths. The emotions from Altuve were taken to another level when he was informed minutes after the game ended that his father had been taken to a Houston hospital. There was no word on the seriousness of his condition, but before he got the news, Altuve spoke about his belief in his team.

"It felt good, though. I'm just happy for Jose Altuve and he deserves all that. He got a little emotional after the game, and we all did. It was something special today." Down 7-2 heading to the ninth, the Astros posted their first win when trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning since July 25, 1980 (and the first ended on a walk-off hit since July 24, 1978). "A lot of people are disappointed with the situation. That's why the commissioner did an investigation," Chapman told Olney. "Hopefully, they take the right actions. I just feel that they put baseball in a bad spot. A lot of people have suffered because of it, because of what they did, and what came out of it."

2019 ALDS Game 5 vs. Rays (No.

He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. The lefthander also echoed some of his teammates from the 2017 team — CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka most prominently — who have said they felt “cheated” out of a World Series. The home run ball bounced off the giant wall and back on to the field. He saw Houston bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte walking past him toward the pile of Astros gathering at home plate. Chapman’s top priority to was to guard against the home run by pitching carefully around Springer and Altuve.

In the bottom of the fifth, with no outs, George Springer and Altuve went back to back for a pair of homers off Corey Kluber, giving the Astros a 4-0 lead in a game they went on to win 7-2. Then the All-Star let his teammates rip off his jersey, trolling the Yankees, who had been mocking him all weekend. Altuve had hit a walkoff home run off Aroldis Chapman to send the Astros to the World Series in 2019 and hugged his jersey to his chest as he came home, telling his teammates not to tear his jersey off his chest.