Yanks' Chapman Sorry 'For Use Of The Gun,' Says He'll Be Ready May 9

TAMPA, Fla. (CBSNewYork) -- Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman claims he has learned his lesson.

On Wednesday, a day after being suspended for 30 games by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for his role in a domestic violence incident last October involving his girlfriend, the hard-throwing left-hander accepted responsibility for his actions and explained why he changed his mind about appealing the ban.

"Yes, this is definitely something I wanted to put behind me, and I want to move on, help this team win," Chapman told WFAN's Sweeny Murti and other media members through translator Marlon Abreu. "We're trying to win a championship here and I think this is the best thing for me, for my teammates and my family."

Under the discipline announced Tuesday, Chapman will serve the penalty from the start of the season in April. He will lose 30 days of pay — $1,856,557 of his $11,325,000 salary — and 30 days of major league service, which will allow him to reach six years of service time after this season, enough to become eligible for free agency.

Chapman said he was advised by his lawyer to accept the suspension, but said ultimately it was his decision to do so. He also admitted that by dragging out the appeal process he could have hurt himself in the eyes of the Yankees or other clubs in free agency.

"I want to take this opportunity -- I want this to be clear -- I'm apologizing because of the use of the gun. It was bad judgment on my part," Chapman said, adding, "but I also want to say that I never hurt my girlfriend. And I want this to be very clear: I'm taking this punishment because of my bad judgment, something that I definitely want to put behind me and move on."

Chapman said he no longer owns a gun and will continue to work to prove to the Yankees that he can be trusted both on the field and off.

"I think that this is something that is going to help me mature, not only for me but also (so) my teammates can look at this and learn from this," Chapman said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he hates to lose his closer for so long, but was complimentary of the job MLB has done to put a policy in place that holds players accountable for their actions.

"Domestic violence is not acceptable, so, to me, that is extremely important. We know it's a sensitive subject and Aroldis now knows," Girardi said. "And sometimes the worst thing is not knowing, waiting to know, and he knows what he needs to do."

Chapman said not being able to play for 30 games "will be a mental challenge," but added he feels "physically strong and mentally strong." He also thanked the Yankees for standing behind him.

"My job will be to work really hard and wait for May 9, so I can join my team," Chapman said. "On the other hand, my team has given me so much support it has actually helped me to build a good relationship with my teammates."

When Chapman returns, the Yankees will have arguably the best back end of the bullpen in baseball. Along with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, the Bombers will feature three power arms capable of shortening games dramatically and thus making up for the club's apparent question marks in its starting rotation.

According to WFAN's Murti, Miller is expected to start the season as the closer. The veteran left said the Yankees will be fine regardless of the order of the relievers.

"Dellin can pitch in the fifth inning to the ninth inning. I'd like to say the same thing about myself," Miller said. "More of what we know is flexibility. More of what we know is being ready for multiple innings or a particular hitter or three days in a row, whatever it is. It's what we're used to.

"We just have to go out there and do our job," Miller added.

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