Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball
Aroldis Chapman wasn't throwing his signature heat when he first took the mound for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
The 37-year-old left-hander's first fastball clocked in at 98.3 miles per hour, while his next two came in a few ticks below 100. Chapman finally broke triple digits against his third batter of the contest, notching the second out of the ninth inning.
When Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth stepped up to the plate with the go-ahead run at second, Chapman locked in.
Chapman fired a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball into the zone, leaving Meidroth to watch it go by for a strike.
As relayed by the Boston Herald's Mac Cerullo and others, that four-seamer was the hardest pitch thrown by a Red Sox player in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. The previous record belonged to Joe Kelly, who threw a 102.2 mile-per-hour fastball against the Chicago Cubs on April 28, 2017.
Chapman got Meidroth to fly out to end the frame, setting the stage for the game to go to extras. The Red Sox went on to win 4-3, collecting their fourth victory in a row.
Through his first 10 appearances in a Red Sox uniform, Chapman is 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA, 1.200 WHIP and 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He has converted on all four of his save opportunities so far in 2025.
Boston has a chance to clinch the series win over Chicago on Sunday, with first pitch from Fenway Park scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET. Considering Chapman was pitching on three days' rest Saturday, the seven-time All-Star could very well be available again Sunday.
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