Shea Langeliers, receiver of the Athletics, had only faced Aroldis Chapman once in his career. It was in May 2024, when the Cuban wore the pirates uniform, and the story ended with a punch without throwing him. Since that time, things have changed for the two players, who over time have managed to overcome steps and ascend in the best baseball in the world.
On the one hand, Langeliers is one of the 13 players who have hit at least 30 home runs in 2025, while Chapman has established himself as the best major league reliever with 37 years of age and 16 service seasons among several organizations. So, when both crossed this Wednesday in Sacramento, it was expected to be sparked …
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The “Cuban missile”, which did not allow a JIT since July 23 with the Red Sox, challenged mostly with Sliders to the Athletics receiver and this took advantage of one of the breaks in the outer area to send a long hit between the left and central garden. The ball fell into no one’s territory 368 feet from the plate and broke the charm of Chapman, who added 17 consecutive games without connecting an unstoppable.
During his chain, the third longest in the history of MLB, the left -handed Wild Pitch After a punch. In those 17 games he added 14.2 entries without scoring races, with 12 savings, a victory and 21 strikeouts.
But nothing lasts forever, much less in a sport as unpredictable as baseball. That knew well Shea Langeliers, who, far from pressing, stopped in the batting drawer to have fun and got a crucial double in the final outcome of the game, at that time tied four races.
“I didn’t think about the streak, but I did know that I was going to a turn against one of the best. At a time, one simply has to be constant, to be the same, not to strive too much to enjoy the moment,” He pointed out Langeliers to the local environment The Sacramento Bee.
Until that hit, Chapman had given the impression of being invincible, or at least that was the feeling of opposites after four fabulous months. From May 9 to September 9, the reliever of Cayo Mambí accumulated 46 departures in which he withdrew 63 rivals through the Strikes and only allowed three clean races in 42.2 innings, for effectiveness of 0.63.
“You have to turn page, it’s part of the game. At one point they were going to connect and simply happened, it was today,” said Mentor Alex Cora to Boston Herald.
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After the double of Langeliers, Chapman took out the first out of the ninth and placed himself in a position to take the game to extrainnings, but Lawrence Buttler hit him simple and the Athletics left the field to the Red Sox. The patrolman hunted a line of 100 miles and achieved a weak but well located connection.
This was an unexpected outcome, because Buttler hit .181 against left -handed, with only seven driven in more than 100 official shifts, while the Antillean plug averaged less than .130 the so -called batters of the wrong hand.
Despite the defeat, Chapman maintains impressive numbers in 2025. Its effectiveness is 1.14 and its average runners embodied by entrance (Whip) is 0.669, the best indicators of their career. In addition, he adds 81 strikeouts in 55.1 entries, 29 saved and four victories.
