CHICAGO -- The Cubs have terminated the stadium disc jockey who played the song "Smack My B - - - - Up" after Aroldis Chapman's outing Sunday night at Wrigley Field.
"We apologize for the irresponsible music selection during our game last night," Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said in a statement on Monday. "The selection of this track showed a lack of judgment and sensitivity to an important issue. We have terminated our relationship with the employee responsible for making the selection and will be implementing stronger controls to review and approve music before public broadcast during our games."
After Chapman closed the ninth inning against the Cardinals, The Prodigy's 1997 song was played. Chapman began this season serving a 30-game suspension covered by Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy after a dispute with his girlfriend in South Florida last October.
Players pick their walk-up music, and Chapman takes the mound to "Wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine.
Last week, manager Joe Maddon noted how Chapman seems to have settled in with the Cubs, saying that the left-hander was "smiling more easily in conversations." After Chapman retired the side on three pitches Thursday night, Maddon promised the closer a steak dinner as a reward.
The only news Chapman has made since joining the Cubs relates to the radar gun readings on his fastball. Crowds at Wrigley Field pause after each pitch, waiting to see the video scoreboard flash how fast he threw the ball.
"It's wonderful," Maddon said. "How many pitchers elicit that kind of reaction?"