May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Red Sox Flamethrower Nearing 124-Year MLB History

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 8:18 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox unsurprisingly got another stellar outing from All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on Sunday.

Boston took on the Arizona Diamondbacks and avoided a sweep by the skin of its teeth. The Red Sox struck late and then sent Chapman into the game for the bottom of the ninth. He continued his red-hot streak and didn't allow any base hits. In fact, Chapman logged four strikeouts in the ninth inning. That's because there was a dropped third strike that led to a baserunner. But, it wasn't via a base hit so his hit-less streak lives on to see another day.

After the game. USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale shared that Chapman's 17-game streak is now the second-longest hit-less streak by a pitcher since 1901.

The Boston Red Sox have one of the game's best closers

"Aroldis Chapman continues his sheer dominance, this time with a 4-strikeout 9th inning in Red Sox’s 7-4 win over Arizona," Nightengale said. "He has now made 17 consecutive appearances without allowing a hit, 2nd-longest in MLB since 1901."

That's just insane. Chapman continues to find ways to amaze since coming to Boston. After another scoreless outing, Chapman now has a 0.98 ERA to go along with 81 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. Chapman already signed an extension with Boston and with each passing outing, it seems smarter and smarter. Boston landed the All-Star flamethrower as one of the club's first moves of the offseason. He won the closer job in Spring Training and has run with it ever since.

With the win, Boston moved to 79-65 on the season. There's a few weeks left and Boston is just three wins away from topping its win total from last year. To put the Red Sox's success into perspective as well, the 79 wins are already more than what Boston had in 2023 and 2022 when the club finished with a 78-84 record. The last week or so hasn't been great for Boston, but Chapman continues to shine and there is plenty to be happy about with the regular season winding down.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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