Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Surpass Makes MLB History
Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman made history Friday night, recording the 1,364th strikeout of his career to become Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout leader among relief pitchers.
The 38-year-old left-hander struck out Denzer Guzman with a 99 mph sinker to begin the ninth inning during Boston's 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Chapman then induced a game-ending double play to earn his 17th save while moving past Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm's previous record of 1,363 strikeouts.
Chapman has spent his entire major league career as a reliever after defecting from Cuba and signing with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010.
He has also pitched for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Red Sox while establishing himself as one of baseball's most dominant late-inning arms.
Aroldis Chapman records career strikeout No. 1,364!
— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2026
He has set a new all-time record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher pic.twitter.com/tdzaYmdGKJ
The eight-time All-Star helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series and still owns the fastest pitch recorded in the Statcast era at 105.8 mph. His latest milestone further strengthens an already impressive Hall of Fame résumé.
Entering Friday's game, Chapman owned a 2.19 ERA over 26 appearances with 16 saves. His scoreless ninth inning improved his season total to 17 saves while giving him 33 strikeouts on the year.
Boston also received a strong outing from rookie Jake Bennett, who allowed two runs across 7 2/3 innings to help secure the victory. The win improved the Red Sox to 38-48 as they continue trying to climb back into the American League playoff race.
Chapman now sits alone atop the all-time relief strikeout list and has the opportunity to extend the record for the remainder of the season. Boston continues its series against the Angels on Saturday with Sonny Gray scheduled to oppose Sam Aldegheri.
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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 6:01 AM.