Manager Aaron Boone had set up his bullpen in textbook fashion, with the urgency that goes along with a season-defining game. He’d gotten 4 2/3 effective innings from Masahiro Tanaka before he turned the ball over to David Robertson, Zach Britton, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.
Robertson, Britton and Betances did their jobs, but the hard-throwing Chapman couldn’t harness his heat. With the Yankees leading, 4-1, after a four-run seventh, he walked Sandy Leon, Mookie Betts and Steve Pearce to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and then, after J.D. Martinez hit a two-run single, an errant throw by Miguel Andujar on a Xander Bogaerts ground ball allowed pinch-runner Jackie Bradley Jr. to score the tying run.
It was Chapman’s first blown save since May 4 after he’d converted 22 straight save opportunities. He has allowed three earned runs in two of his last five outings. Of the 12 runs he’s allowed this season, six have come since July 21.
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