Aroldis Chapman did something he's never done while giving up a ninth-inning grand slam

Aroldis Chapman and the New York Yankees are in a bad spot — a really bad spot. Chapman’s ERA had gone from 0.00 to 3.77 over his last 13 appearances, and the Yankees have gone 1-5 in their last six games.

And we’re only grazing the surface as to why Jared Walsh’s ninth-inning grand slam was a brutal blow to the Yankees and Chapman on Wednesday in New York during L.A.’s 11-8 win. Walsh’s at-bat came at the top of the ninth with the Angels trailing four runs. Chapman walked three consecutive batters to load the bases. And then the worst happened. On his first pitch to Walsh, he put it in the stands. Here’s a look at the grand slam.

Remarkably, Aroldis Chapman had never allowed a HR on a slider to a left-handed hitter before this demoralizing blow… pic.twitter.com/a9Kzrs8Yv7

— Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) July 1, 2021

So let’s dive into three quick stats that make this moment even more devastating for Chapman — and the Yankees.

• Chapman had never allowed a grand slam in the majors. This was the first he’s ever allowed.
• Chapman had never allowed a homer on his slider to a left-handed hitter.
• The Yankees now have just a 33% chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.com. That number has fallen 6% in the last week.

It was a moment of firsts for Chapman in the worst way. And it was a significant blow to the Yankees’ playoff hopes.