Rivera or Chapman: Which Yankees Great Would You Rather Face? Astros Respond.

By Jennifer Mercedes

NEW YORK – Who would you rather face, Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera or Aroldis Chapman?

Prior to Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, that’s the question I posed to a few of the Astros. If you had the opportunity to choose, who would it be? Their facial expressions said it all. It was an incredulous look, as if saying, “Are you really asking me this?” 

Yes, I was.

Laughter was what came out of Yulieski Gurriel first, then doubt, “Mariano,” he said. “I think, I think, Mariano.”

It’s easy to see how players could have a difficult time in choosing one or the other. Rivera is a Hall of Famer. Chapman could very well be on his way there. Aside from the obvious, being closers for the New York Yankees, they also have something else in common. 

This year, Chapman joined Rivera in becoming only the second Yankee reliever to be awarded the AL Reliever of the Month Awards. Still, Rivera does have him beat by one. Rivera won the award back in 2008 and again in 2009.

When trying to decide who would you rather face, the numbers should speak for themselves. Rivera allowed less than one run per nine innings, in 140 innings, during the postseason. But, as Astros catcher Robinson Chirinos pointed out, “Mariano was one of the best of his time, without a doubt. But, he didn’t throw 100-102 mph like Chapman does.”

It’s those numbers on the radar gun that could also strike some fear in the batter’s box.

Carlos Correa sees it as an honor to face the best to ever do it. “I’ve faced Chapman, therefore, I would choose Mariano,” Correa said. “He’s a Hall of Famer. … It would have been a pleasure to have faced him.”

In the end, respect was the common denominator. Respect for a man immortalized in baseball’s Hall of Fame, and respect for a man also known as “The Cuban Missile.”

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