Red Sox closer defies Father Time, earns eighth All-Star selection

When Boston handed Chapman a one-year, $10.75 million contract in early December, it did so hoping his underlying metrics would supersede a stat line that suggested the hard-throwing lefty, in his late-thirties, had regressed from his peak.

Midway through the season, Chapman has not only proven that he still possesses world-class velocity, but also that he is among the most elite closers in the game.

Chapman is 15-for-16 in save appearances and has walked just 10 batters all season while retaining triple-digit velocity.

Chapman’s 1.25 ERA is the lowest by a Red Sox pitcher in his first 39 games to start a season since Hideki Okajima – also an All-Star — posted an 0.83 ERA in 2007.

This year will mark Chapman's first All-Star appearance since 2021, when he was a member of the Yankees. His eighth All-Star selection trails only Mariano Rivera (12) and Craig Kimbrel (nine) for the most by a reliever in MLB history.

“Happy and also proud to be back after a few years," Chapman said. "Proud of the work I’ve done to get here. It makes me very happy to make it back to the All-Star Game.”

Early in his career with the Reds and Yankees, All-Star selections were frequent occurrences for the hard-throwing lefty. 

He rattled off four straight All-Star appearances with Cincinnati from 2012-15 and, after a three-year layoff, was back in three out of four years as a Yankee in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

After a lackluster final year in New York in 2022, Chapman bounced around the league as his command began to slip. From 2022-24, Chapman played for four different teams, logged a 3.68 ERA and recorded just 29 saves. His walk rate swelled to 5.9 BB/9 in that span.

The Cuban hurler has seemingly rediscovered his magic in Boston. His 53 strikeouts and 15 saves are the seventh-most by an American League reliever this season. His 2.5 walks per nine innings is by far his best since 2016.

“Everything he does is on point, and that’s the reason he’s gonna keep pitching until he decides,” Red Sox skipper Alex Cora said, via Chris Cotillo of Mass Live. “I don’t think the game is going to decide this one. He will decide when to walk away from the game. He has been awesome.”

The 2025 All-Star Game will be held on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta.