With one more strikeout, Red Sox’ Aroldis Chapman will break 54-year-old MLB record
· Yahoo Sports
BOSTON — Aroldis Chapman’s outing in Sunday’s dramatic win over the Yankees was shaky — but still included a personal milestone that put the fireballer one strikeout away from making MLB history.
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Chapman blew his second save in seven days and allowed two runs as the Yankees tied the game, but also recorded two strikeouts in the ninth inning. By punching out Cody Bellinger and then Max Schuemann to end the inning, Chapman got to career 1,363 strikeouts. That mark tied Hoyt Wilhelm for the most by a reliever in major league history.
Chapman’s next strikeout — which likely won’t come Monday night against Washington because he pitched on back-to-back days (and in three of four games) against the Yankees — will allow him to stand alone atop that leaderboard. Wilhelm, a Hall of Fame knuckleballer who pitched for nine teams in part of 21 seasons, has held the record since his retirement in 1972.
Chapman, who is in his 17th big league season, tied Wilhelm’s record in 889 appearances. Wilhelm reached the mark in 1,018 games (and also started 52 games 1958 and 1963).
“On the personal part, and the individual part, great,” Chapman said Sunday (through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez). “That’s great. It reflects on my career and what I’ve done throughout my career. On the other side, I just want to be out there every time I can to help the team win and save games.”
Chapman’s pursuit of a 54-year-old record comes at a time in which he has showed that he’s human after a dominant first year and a half in a Red Sox uniform. After allowing just one earned run (and 10 hits) in his first 20 ⅔ innings (21 games) of the season, the 38-year-old has been tagged with six runs (five earned) in his last five outings, blowing two saves and taking two losses in the process. He has been hobbled by a hamstring injury but to this point, has avoided the IL. The lefty’s ERA has risen from 0.44 to 2.19 in 11 days.
Sunday’s outing included just one hit and one walk as New York scored on a Wilyer Abreu throwing error and then a close play on a fielder’s choice. The Red Sox won, 5-4, in 10 innings on Jarren Duran’s walk-off single.
“I feel good,” Chapman said Sunday. “Things didn’t go my way tonight, but at the end of the day, we won.”
Five of the top seven relievers on the all-time strikeout leaderboard pitched for the Red Sox. Along with Chapman, Craig Kimbrel (fourth), Kenley Jansen (fifth), Lee Smith (sixth) and Billy Wagner (seventh) are among the all-time leaders.
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