Chapman was the right pitcher for the 8th; Whitlock should have pitched the 9th because it was Judge, Bellinger, and Stanton. Rice wasn’t going to PH for any of them. The mistake was the 9th, not the 8th.
I don't remember how many pitches Fried had up to then. But as I noted earlier here, the Yankmee pen stinks. In a three game series you can't afford to go with pitchers who stink
Like I said, I'm glad it worked out. But Whitlock has been just about as effective as Chapman and there were two good righties due up in the 9th. I believe this was an example of Cora making a mistake. I don't think he is generally a good manager, though except for that mistake he did well tonight.
Goldschmidt, Judge, and Stanton had PAs in the 9th. Whit has been lights out. But whatever-its still 1-0. Just eliminating the Yankmees would make the season a success.
Just because what Cora did (not using Whitlock for the righties in the 9th) worked out doesn’t mean it was the best move. Sometimes mistakes work out fine