Aroldis Chapman speaks little English, but the language he speaks from the pitcher's mound evokes sheer terror from opposing batters.
Chapman talks in high decibels with a three-digit fastball, then buckles knees with a whispering slider to pile up strikeout after strikeout after strikeout.
While Cincinnati Reds fan scream and plead that Chapman should be in the starting rotation, the young man (24) who fled Cuba relentlessly marches toward the record books working out of the bullpen.
All that's missing is a song when he strolls out of the bullpen, something like Charlie Sheen's character, Rick Vaughn, marching to the mound to the accompaniment of The Troggs' ‘Wild Thing' in the movie ‘Major League.'
And what Chapman is doing is something right off a movie lot, but it wouldn't be believable in a movie script.
His lifestyle is as fast as his fastball, clocked once last season at 105 miles an hour, and another time at 106. He has ‘105' tattooed on his biceps and he drives a canary yellow Lamborghini about which manager Dusty Baker smiles and says, "I hope he doesn't drive it as fast as he throws a baseball, but it wouldn't surprise me if does."
The Reds signed Chapman to a $30 million contract with thoughts of him pitching in the rotation. He began his career in the bullpen, to ease him into his new lifestyle and environment.
Then this spring he was being groomed to start, one of six vying for the five spots. But there was no room, so Baker placed him back in the bullpen, fitting him into a set-up role ahead of closer Sean Marshall.
And he has fit so snugly that Baker entertains no thoughts at this time of putting his human torch into the rotation or turning him into a closer, even though his stuff is classic closer.
As the Reds head to New York for five games, two against the Mets and three against the Yankees, Chapman is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA.
Teams not only can't score runs against the long-legged lefthander, they can barely sneak in a hit. In 19 1/3 innings, he has given up no runs (nor has he permitted any inherited runners to score), six hits and five walks.
But, oh, those strikeouts. He has faced 70 hitters and struck out 34 – or 48.6 percent of the batters he has faced.
If that continues, he'll shatter all major league records for percentage of batters whiffed.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne holds the record, 44.8 per cent. And former Houston Astros/Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge holds the record as the only pitcher to throw more than 85 innings and strike out more than 40 per cent (42.5).
Chapman is on course to pitch 86 innings and Baker says, "He has had a hand in nearly all our wins, so this is better for him and the team than to have him pitching every fifth day. He will be a starter, that's for sure, but right now he is best-suited right where he is."
There is no question that Chapman is the darling of the fans, an entertainer who is as anticipated as Elvis Presley was before he came on stage to ‘Space Odyssey/C.C. Rider.
As soon as he gets up in the bullpen in Great American Ball Park, a murmur begins throughout the stands and the crescendo builds until the gate opens and he slow-trots from left field to the mound to an ear-piercing cheer. Fans know hitters about to face baseball's version of Freddy Krueger, a Nightmare on Pete Rose Way.
Facing Chapman has to be about the way it was when somebody asked former catcher Gary Carter how hitters faced Nolan Ryan and he said, "With tears in their eyes."
A typical night was Chapman's last appearance, Monday in Atlanta. For one of the rare times this year, Baker inserted Chapman in mid-inning. Normally he starts the eighth inning when the Reds are clinging tightly to a slim lead.
The Reds led, 3-1, when the Braves put two runners on with one out and Chapman entered the game.
He retired Brian McCann on a fly ball to right, nothing spectacular. The spectacular arrived after Chapman walked Chipper Jones to fill the bases. That brought Jason Heyward to the plate.
Chapman flame-fired two strikes past Heyward, the second strike clocked at 100 miles an hour. Chapman threw another fastball at 101, just outside the strike zone for a ball.
After seeing three straight pitches that arrived with the stitches on the baseball smoldering, Heyward had to expect another searing fastball.
Instead, Chapman dropped a 90 miles an hour slider about a foot outside and Heyward swung feebly and missed — another strikeout, another game saved.
It is obvious so far this season, hitters might do just as well trying to hit Chapman with the lights out, before he turns them out for them.
