Nearly four months after his alleged domestic violence incident, Aroldis Chapman has finally given his side of things.
The Yankees closer's girlfriend told police that the pitcher choked her and fired off several rounds in his garage during an incident between the couple on Oct. 30.
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Chapman claimed he didn't hit her, but he "poked her on the left shoulder and told her not to talk to him like that," according to TMZ.
The prosecutors dropped their investigation into him and opted not to pursue criminal charges after looking into the allegations, but the MLB is still conducting its own analysis and could still punish him.
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The flamethower, who turns 28 on Sunday, finally addressed the alleged incident after reporting to Yankees camp for spring training.
"I haven't hurt anybody," Chapman said through a translator, according to ESPN. "Just, in general, I've never hurt anybody ever in my life."
Chapman left Yankees camp on Monday to attend to an unspecified family matter, but upon returning, he was on the defensive as to how the media portrayed him. When asked if he thought the media coverage of the incident was fair, the closer gave an honest assessment.
"Just a little bit," Chapman said. "That is not my character or the person I am."
While it's understandable why he's on the defensive, had Chapman just come forward with his side to begin with, the scrutiny would have been much less. He likely had to stay silent during the investigation, but it was dropped over a month ago and he remained silent.
The alleged incident caused a trade between the Reds and Dodgers involving Chapman to be put on hold. The Yankees then swooped in and landed the closer to add him to a strong bullpen that also includes Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.
Chapman may have reason to believe the media was too hard on him, but all he had to do was give his side of the story instead of waiting four months.
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