When the 2025 Major League Baseball season is all said and done, one of the best things about it will have been the decision to sign Aroldis Chapman as a free agent to a deal worth just over $10 million before the season and then finding a way to get an extension done before the season came to a close.
Chapman has been that good this season, despite being 37 years old. Chapman is now an eight-time All-Star and has been among the best relievers in baseball in general over the last 16 years, but this season has undoubtedly been the best of his career. Chapman recorded four strikeouts on Sunday -- thanks to a dropped third strike -- and now has a 0.98 ERA in 60 appearances. On top of this, he has an 81-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio 55 innings pitched. Chapman has 29 saves on the season so far as well with a few weeks left to go.
Chapman has tied his career-best 3.4 wins above replacement mark that he set back in 2012 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. And, again, he's 37 years old. He has been dominant all year, but what he has been able to do over the last few months has been next level. With another dominant performance on Sunday, he has now ended 50 straight at-bats with an out.
"Aroldis Chapman continues his sheer dominance, this time with a 4-strikeout 9th inning in Red Sox’s 7-4 win over Arizona," USA Today's Bob Nightengale said. "He has now made 17 consecutive appearances without allowing a hit, 2nd-longest in MLB since 1901...Aroldis Chapman has retired 50 consecutive batters, so the equivalent of nearly two perfect games. The last time he gave up a hit? Would you believe July 23?"
Chapman hasn't given up a base hit since July 23rd, as Nightengale noted. Since then, he has walked four batters. But, he hasn't given up a base hit in 50 batters. On July 23rd, he gave up an earned run for the first time since May 27th. That means that since May 28th, the Red Sox All-Star has allowed just one earned run. It's September 8th.
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