CLEVELAND — On the day that Rob Zastryzny made his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs two months ago, he warmed up in the bullpen in Denver alongside Aroldis Chapman, the man who throws harder than anyone in baseball.
Chapman had been a Cub for less than a month after being traded to Chicago by the Yankees on July 25, and Zastryzny was getting his first up-close look.
“After the game, I got about 6,000 texts,” Zastryzny said, “and all but one said, ‘Hey, we saw you warming up next to Aroldis Chapman.