As long as I live, I will never forget Aroldis Chapman smiling like the cheshire cat—after giving up a walk-off homer run to Jose Altuve to lose the ALCS.
In case YOU forgot, here is one of the worst nights of my life:
HOUSTON WALK OFF TO THE WORLD SERIES 😱
WOW
(via @FOXSports)pic.twitter.com/1HTuVSRZHg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 20, 2019
6 years later, at 37 years old, playing for the only team I might hate more than the Astros—Aroldis Chapman is having one of the best single-seasons in the history of pitching.
Here’s what Aroldis Chapman is doing for the Boston Red Sox with a month left to go:
- 59 games
- 28 saves
- 4 wins
- 2 losses
- 1.00 ERA
- 54 IP
- 77 Ks
- 6 earned runs
- 417 ERA+
- 0.648 WHIP
- 12.8 SO/9
This is the best season of his career and one of the best pitching seasons ever.
Aroldis Chapman hasn’t given up a hit in his last 44 batters faced.
He’s an automatic out.
9th inning comes and opposing batters are hogs on an assembly line—rolling to their inevitable, unceremonious slaughter.
After a five-pitch inning today Aroldis Chapman has gone 16 straight outings and 46 straight batters without allowing a hit
He now owns an even 1.00 ERA in 54 innings this season pic.twitter.com/HXKxA8hmyr
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 1, 2025
Aroldis Chapman has not allowed a hit to the last 46 batters he has faced
He has the lowest ERA (1.02), FIP (1.72) and BABIP (1.72) among qualified relievers
To go with a league-best 2.3 fWAR, 12.91 K/9 (7th) and career-low 2.38 BB/9
By the way, he is 37 years old🔥 pic.twitter.com/VejJHGrti9
— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) September 2, 2025
Aroldis Chapman is the best pitcher on planet Earth right now.
For 7 years, I watched Chapman throw 100+ mph, just chucking that bitch with his eyes, closed the ball lands near the strikezone but understanding he throws so hard that it didn’t even matter where it landed. And without really ever locating any pitches, he still managed 7 All-Star game selections.
But he was also a huge ass weirdo. Like, the only reason he landed on the Yankees is because his career almost ended in 2015 following a domestic abuse incident where he strangled his girlfriend and fired 8 gunshots in a rage. It was impossible to root for a guy who put his hands on his girl and nearly took her life.
Oh, and there was that video where he looked like a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal weirdo with his mother.
(They are VERY close).
But it feels like, as he creeps closer to 40 years old, this asshole’s frontal lobe may have finally developed.
The loser who attacked his girlfriend—the freak who got freaky with his mom—the pitcher who unleashed a flamethrower from the mound, with no control or plan—has now realized he can extend what’s left of his Major League Baseball career if he simply thinks about where he wants to throw the ball—and actually aims it at a designated location.
The Red Sox are currently 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East—while tied with the New York Yankees for that first Wild Card spot. If Boston can just keep bringing leads to the inning for Aroldis to come clock everyone out, the team that traded Rafael Devers midseason for no reason may have a sneaky little playoff run in them.
Hopefully, Aroldis is a better, mature man so I can celebrate this late-career success without feeling icky.
Keep him away from women unless they’re like, wearing a bodycam or something.
Thanks for reading.
Let me know if you think Aroldis Chapman is secretly on that juice. Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.Â
