Chapman's four-seam fastball averaged 95.3 miles per hour during his 18-pitch appearance in Thursday's season-opening win over the Orioles, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.
While Chapman still peaked at 97.8 mph and completed a scoreless frame, his velocity was down approximately four ticks from what he averaged in his first appearance of 2018. Perhaps as a means of compensating for the diminished heat, Chapman relied on more breaking pitches Thursday, a notable development for a pitcher who has thrown fastballs more than 79 percent of the time during his career. The Yankees haven't indicated that Chapman is dealing with a physical issue and it's possible he gains an extra tick or two as the weather warms, but his velocity readings are at the very least something that warrants monitoring in his subsequent outings.