Former Rangers closer is making history in Boston

If Aroldis Chapman had been this dominant when he was a member of the 2023 Texas Rangers World Series championship team, it would have made things a lot easier on the nerves of the fans during that epic playoff run.

Two years later, the 37-year-old flame-throwing lefty has been rejuvenated for the Boston Red Sox and is on a historic stretch.

Aroldis Chapman is on an insanely dominant run as a reliever

The Red Sox are currently 79-65 and appear to be a lock to make the playoffs as a wild card team. Much of their success this season, especially after the All-Star break, is due to the dominance of Aroldis Chapman coming out of their bullpen to close out games.

After collecting his 29th save on Sunday with a rare four-strikeout 9th inning in a 7-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chapman has now retired an amazing 50 straight hitters. Equally jaw-dropping, he has not surrendered a hit in his last 17 appearances, dating back to July 23, a dominant streak not been seen since 1901.

During his hitless streak, Chapman has fanned 15 and four free passes while lowering his already low ERA from 1.34 to 0.98. With that, Boston signed him to a contract extension for 2026 at the beginning of September.

Chapman joined the Rangers midseason in 2023

The six-foot-four, 235-pound hurler was acquired by Chris Young and the Rangers in late June 2023 from the Kansas City Royals and served as both a closer and late-inning reliever for the team during their World Series-winning season.

Unfortunately, for Young, manager Bruce Bochy, and Rangers fans, Chapman was not nearly as effective during his stint in Arlington. While a Ranger, Chapman posted a 3.72 ERA often hitting well over 100 mph with his fastball but had an issue with control as he allowed 16 walks and eventually ceded the closer role to Jose Leclerc.

During the Rangers postseason run, Chapman allowed just two runs in eight innings pitched and was a big part of the bullpen that closed out the D-Backs for the World Series title.