Yankees ‘pen hiccups, but Chapman seals it

NEW YORK — As Trevor Brown scurried across home plate, the pocket of fans clad in Giants orange at Yankee Stadium erupted Friday night. Yankees manager Joe Girardi looked on from the dugout, his hands resting over the guardrail and his face bearing no expression. His plans had been squandered.

Masahiro Tanaka had thrown just 83 pitches through six scoreless innings, but Girardi pulled him before the seventh in favor of Dellin Betances. The Yankees claimed the 3-2 win in the series opener, but not before a pair of rare slipups from Betances and Andrew Miller, in the seventh and eighth, respectively, left the game’s outcome in jeopardy.

“You don’t see it very often, so I think when it happens, we’re a little bit shocked,” Girardi said. “I’m going to bet on ’em every time.”

Girardi’s bets have usually proved bountiful. Betances (2.63 ERA), Miller (1.49 ERA) and closer Aroldis Chapman (2.15 ERA) have combined for perhaps the scariest bullpen in the Major Leagues.

With the Yankees hovering around .500 for much of the summer, Girardi has made a habit of liberal use of his bullpen. Plus, he successfully turned to the trio after Tanaka’s last start. On …

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