Terrible! Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman implodes in loss to Mets | Rapid reaction

NEW YORK — It’s the Fourth of July, so the Yankees figured why not strap their season to an M-80?

In yet another worst-loss-of-the-year candidate, ace Gerrit Cole stunk, the Yankees came back, and then closer Aroldis Chapman imploded. The result: A horrible 10-5 loss to the Mets before 42,714 fans at Yankee Stadium.

It was Game 1 of a split doubleheader. Nestor Cortes was slated to start Game 2 for the Yankees, who have lost seven of their last eight. They fell to 41-41, the latest in a season that they are .500 or worse since August 2016.

The Yankees held a 5-4 lead going into the seventh inning. But Pete Alonso blasted Chapman’s 1-2 slider just over the wall in left-center field, reaching down and hooking it. It came after three straight 97-mph-plus fastballs. Chapman put both hands over his head in disbelief as the ball traveled out. Alonso twirled his arm as he neared third base and he yelled when he reached home plate.

It got worse as the Mets would score six runs in the frame with Yankees fans leaving early and turning the Bronx into Citi Field West.

Chapman continued to wither, hitting Michael Conforto and walking Jeff McNeil. He left to boos, and lefty Lucas Luetge immediately gave up a looping single up the middle to pinch hitter Kevin Pillar to load the bases. And with one out, the real fireworks started. Pinch hitter Jose Peraza ripped a line drive to left field. A fan in Mets gear reached over and caught it over Tim Locastro’s head. Confusion reigned for a moment as umpires talked, and they awarded Peraza a two-run, ground-rule double since Locastro wasn’t going to make the catch either way. It put the Mets ahead, 7-5.

A Brandon Nimmo single to right field would plate another two runs and then Francisco Lindor singled to bring in one more and make cement the final score.

Manager Aaron Boone had used reliever Chad Green for just two pitches the previous inning, yet went to the struggling Chapman anyway.

The Yankees went ahead (briefly) when Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman’s wild pitch bounced to the backstop and DJ LeMahieu scored from third with one out.

Coming off getting smacked by the Red Sox last Sunday, Cole was terrible again, giving up four earned runs and lasting only 3 1/3 innings. It was his shortest outing in any game since Sept. 12, 2016, and just the third time in his career he didn’t get through four innings.

Cole has a 4.47 ERA since May 17, a span of nine starts. He started off rocky, with Dom Smith beating him for a two-out solo shot in the first inning.

The Yankees struck back in the second, scoring three runs. Two scored on Kyle Higashioka’s bases-loaded double to the left-field corner. Then left fielder Tim Locastro, in his first Yankees at-bat, drove a sacrifice fly to left field to score Brett Gardner to a 3-1 lead.

It would expand to 4-1 when Giancarlo Stanton hit into a double play with runners on the corners, scoring Judge.

In the fourth, Cole fell apart. He sandwiched full-count walks to MIchael Conforto and Billy McKinny around a Jeff McNeil single to load the bases for Tomas Nido, who laced a RBI line-drive single to right-field. Then after getting Luis Guillorme to strike out swinging, Brandon Nimmon pulled a single to right to bring in another run.

That ended Cole’s afternoon with the bases loaded, but reliever Jonathan Loaisiga immediately gave up a base hit on a grounder through the right side to tie things at 4-4. Loaisiga then walked Dom Smith before making an impressive back-handed play on a grounder to throw out Pete Alonso to end the inning.

Cole’s counterpart, Stroman, went five innings and gave up three runs.

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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.