Aroldis Chapman had interesting reaction to getting a hitter out

For seven innings, the Pittsburgh Pirates kept the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers off of the scoreboard. With the Pirates clinging to a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Teoscar Hernández came up. With runners on first and second and only one out, Hernández was looking to tie the game or even give the Dodgers the lead.

Standing 60 feet and six inches away from Hernández was Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh’s veteran reliever. This was not a “one to measure, one to rake” situation for Hernández. He took the first offering from Chapman and drilled it. Chapman’s reaction said everything. The ball had barely left Hernández’s bat when Chapman ripped his glove off and slammed it on the mound. Having just given up the likely game-winning home run, he was disgusted.

Only, there was one issue. This wasn’t a home run. It was a triple, double or even a single for that matter. And if you’re thinking that you’re about to see an awesome home run robbery, we’re afraid that you’re going to be disappointed there, too. Center fielder Jack Suwinski got to the ball with enough time to even camp under it before it finally came down, landing harmlessly in his glove. This all happened with Suwinski’s feet barely on the warning track.

Certainly, things like bat flips and players standing in the box to admire their home runs have more accepted in baseball — and that’s good. We can’t burn that unwritten rulebook too soon. Still, it is funny to see a player celebrate a home, only for the ball to not actually leave the park. Somehow, we found the exact opposite of that.

Fortunately, we have the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme being played in reverse for just such occasions.

Of course, the at-bat wasn’t a complete loss for the Dodgers. While Hernández did fly out, he did hit the ball deep enough for Shohei Ohtani to tag up and reach third base. But Chapman struck out Andy Pages to end the inning. The Pirates couldn’t add to their lead in the bottom of the eighth but David Bednar pitched the ninth for Pittsburgh and retired the side in order. Despite Chapman’s premature frustration, things worked out well for him and his team.

He might owe his glove an apology, though.