Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman received recognition from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for becoming the left-handed reliever with the most strikeouts in Major League Baseball history during the current season.
According to journalist Francys Romero on the social network Facebook, “El Misil” achieved that feat in his fifteenth campaign last June.
At 36 years old, the native of Holguín struck out Travis d’Arnaud and pinch hitter Sean Murphy that day in the ninth inning, although the Pirates lost 1-2 to the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings.
In this way, Chapman surpassed Billy Wagner's mark of 1,196 and continues to earn enough merit to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when he decides to end his career.
Chapman is just 120 strikeouts away from the historic leaders among bullpen pitchers. Currently, he is only surpassed by Hoyt Wilhelm (1,363), Rich Gossage (1,340), and Craig Kimbrel (1,258).
The person from Holguín has accumulated an impressive list of achievements, including seven All-Star Game invitations, two World Series rings, a Mariano Rivera Award for the best reliever in the American League, and a Guinness World Record for the fastest pitch in history (105.8 mph).
The Antillian continues to be a key figure in baseball. His legacy in MLB continues to grow, and with his current pace, there is no doubt that he could keep climbing the ranks among the best relievers of all time.
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