Aroldis Chapman keeps etching his name in the record books. The Holguín closer for the Boston Red Sox achieved his 401st save in Major League Baseball this Sunday, in his team's 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
The rescue arrived a week after Chapman reached the milestone of 400 saves on September 6, in Boston's 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the ninth pitcher in MLB history to achieve that figure.
In the ninth inning this Sunday, Chapman opened the frame with two consecutive walks — to Isaac Collins and John — but responded decisively by striking out Tyler Tolbert, Carter Jansen, and Bobby Witt Jr. to close out the game without allowing any runs, according to reported Pelota Cubana.
The pitcher from Holguín threw 25 pitches, 13 of which were strikes, caused four missed swings, and recorded a maximum speed of 98.5 miles per hour. With this performance, he reduced his season ERA to 1.95 in 50.2 innings pitched and reached 68 strikeouts in 2026.
In his career, he has already accumulated 1,399 strikeouts, a figure that in July made him the reliever with the most strikeouts in MLB history after breaking Hoyt Wilhelm's historical record with his strikeout number 1,364.
Sunday's performance marked his 113th appearance in Major League Baseball with three or more strikeouts in a single inning, a record that puts him just two away from Craig Kimbrel, the all-time leader in that category with 115. The third on that list is Kenley Jansen, with 90.
The save 401 is also the number 34 of the 2026 season, making this campaign the tenth for Chapman with at least 30 saves, a consistency that places him among the most reliable closers in modern baseball history.
In the historical list of saves, Chapman holds the ninth position, behind the leader Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601), Kenley Jansen (493), Lee Smith (478), Craig Kimbrel (441), Francisco Rodríguez (437), John Franco (424), and Billy Wagner (422).
After reaching the milestone of 400 rescues last week, Chapman acknowledged the significance of the moment: "There was a moment when I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. But thank God we are here, and I was able to reach 400."
The closer also admitted that losing his closing role in earlier stages of his career made that milestone feel even more significant: "When I joined this team, I was given the opportunity to compete for that position, and I was able to earn it."
Filed under: