Watch Aroldis Chapman Seal Red Sox’s Victory With 102-MPH Pitch
Aroldis Chapman brought the heat Wednesday night.
The Boston Red Sox earned their second straight series win against an American League East foe with a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Walker Buehler helped a taxed bullpen by throwing seven innings in a bounce-back outing at Fenway Park.
After Justin Wilson and Greg Weissert combined to work a scoreless eighth, Alex Cora turned to his closer. Chapman only needed 12 pitchers to retire the side for his 12th save of the season.
The 37-year-old ended the game in style, getting Rays outfielder Josh Lowe to whiff on a game-ending strikeout. Chapman put a little extra on his last pitch, firing the fastball at a sizzling 102 mph.
Take a look at Wednesday’s final moment from the NESN broadcast:
Boston signed Chapman to a one-year deal after the southpaw posted a 3.79 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. He’s already delivered an immense return on investment, authoring a 1.59 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
Chapman continues to light up radar guns in his 16th season. The two-time World Series champion has fired his slider at an MLB-leading average velocity of 100.1 mph. Meanwhile, Statcast tracks his fastball at 98.6 mph.
Despite still throwing hard, Chapman has made considerable control gains in 2025. The typically erratic reliever had issued a walk rate of at least 14.5 percent in each of the last four seasons, but he’s improved that percentage to 8.2 by allowing nine free passes in 28 1/3 innings.
Wednesday marked Chapman’s fifth consecutive appearance without a walk. He also hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 27, tallying 11 strikeouts to one walk in his last eight outings.
The Red Sox entered the season with ninth-inning uncertainty, but a resurgent Chapman has ended any closer controversy. He’s making a strong case for his eighth All-Star nod as Boston attempts to climb the AL standings.