Aroldis Chapman Gets to Face His Childhood Hero

Aroldis Chapman has never met Jose Contreras, the 39-year old reliever for the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Contreras was the Cuban National Team's best pitcher when Chapman was a boy.  He watched him on TV,

"When I was a kid and watching baseball, I saw Jose.  I liked the way he threw.  I liked the way he pitched," Chapman said through an interpreter on media day in Philadelphia.  I was impressed with the number of pitches he had and the quality of the pitches he had.  He was the best in Cuba."

Contreras was a starter when he first appeared in the Major Leagues after defecting from Cuba in 2003 with the New York Yankees.  He was the ace of the Chicago White Sox World Championship team in 2005 with a 15-7 record.  He won a world series game against the Houston Astros.

This will be his fourth trip to the playoffs.  He was with the Yankees in 2003, White Sox in 2005 and the Colorado Rockies last season.

This season with the Phillies, Contreras has appeared in 67 games all in relief with a 6-4 record and 3.34 ERA.  He contributed four saves.

Chapman became the most watched player in baseball this spring after he signed with the Reds in January.  He needed to work on some things and become acclimated to life in the United States.  The Reds sent him to Louisville as a starting pitcher but with the huge success of the Reds starting rotation this season, the Reds felt he could be valuable pitching from the bullpen.

"My teammates in Louisville helped me out with a lot of things," Chapman said.  "The same thing when I came to the Reds.   I received a lot of help from my teammates.  I feel very lucky that I got to be part of the celebration."