Watch Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman do something he’d rarely done before

Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman has has an extraordinary, unprecedented year for the Red Sox in 2025. And last night, Chapman did something he'd rarely done before in his 16-year career.

After Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead, two-run home run to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth inning at Baltimore, Chapman entered and struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the Red Sox' 3-2 victory at Camden Yards. In the final at-bat of the game against Orioles right-handed hitter Coby Mayo, Chapman needed 12 pitches before finally retiring Mayo with a 99-mph fastball for called strike three.

So why was the achievement notable? Because during a 16-year career in which he has faced more than 3,300 batters, Chapman had never once throw 12 pitches in at-bat to retire anybody. And if that sounds like something Mayo should be credited for - and he should - it's also further indication that the 37-year-old Chapman in 2025 might be the very best version anyone has ever seen of the 6-foot-4, 235-pound bullet-train lefty.

You can watch a sped-up version of the full at-bat - which took almost exactly five minutes in real time - in the video embedded in this post:

So why was this important for Chapman? Because until this year, he generally hasn't had the consistent, strike-throwing ability to reach 12 pitches in a single at-bat. (Incredibly, thanks to research done by longtime reporter John Tomase, Chapman's previous high was 11 pitches. He has only reached 10 on five occasions, the last in 2013.) In the at-bat last night against Mayo, Chapman actually started the at-bat 2-0 before throwing nine strikes in his last 10 pitches. With two strikes, Mayo fouled off six pitches to extend the at-bat.

In the four seasons prior to this one, Chapman had averaged a whopping 6.0 walks per nine innings, easily the worst five-year stretch of his career. The pitcher subsequently spent the offseason intent of refining and rectifying the issue. As a result, he has walked just 14 batters in 52 innings this season, a career-best rate of 2.4 walks per nine innings for the entire season.