Red Sox’s Aroldis Chapman Continues Dominance With Unreal Stat Line
Three strikeouts in an inning would've been too easy
Aroldis Chapman’s unprecedented run continued to defy convention on Sunday.
The Boston Red Sox closer recorded his 29th save of the season to secure a 7-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 37-year-old has now gone 17 straight appearances without allowing a hit since July 23, and he’s issued just one walk since the start of August.
Chapman still managed to up the ante on his dominance Sunday, registering four strikeouts in his lone inning of work. And yes, an inning still constitutes three outs.
Chapman began the final frame by striking out Arizona second baseman Blaze Alexander. The All-Star also fanned Ildemaro Vargas, but the pinch-hitter reached first base when Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez couldn’t corral a strike three in the dirt.
Undeterred by the wild pitch, Chapman stranded Vargas by striking out Tyler Locklear and Jordan Lawlar. His save concluded a much-needed victory for the Red Sox, who snapped a three-game losing streak and avoided a sweep at Arizona.
There aren’t many superlatives left to describe Chapman’s season. He lowered his ERA to 0.98, surrendering a whopping six earned runs in 55 innings. Chapman has 81 strikeouts to just 14 walks, a stunning control boost for a flamethrower who had issued more than 5.5 walks per nine innings in each of the last four seasons.
Chapman hasn’t permitted a hit or walk in seven straight innings, and his hitless streak expanded to 14 2/3 innings and 50 batters faced. Maybe he can attempt a five-strikeout inning for an encore.
