Friday, May 22

KANSAS CITY -- A giant on the mound who stands at 6-foot-4 and with a chiseled body that looks like sculpted brick more than muscle, Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman now stands in the land of giants when it comes to all-time closers.

When he closed out a 3-1 victory over the Royals on Monday night, Chapman moved into 10th on the all-time saves list with 378. He quickly added No. 379 on Wednesday, capping a three-game sweep of the Royals in Boston’s 4-3 win.

“I’m happy, I’m proud to be in that select group,” said Chapman. “I think that speaks about the consistency and the hard work I’ve put in throughout my career.”

That’s about as reflective as Chapman will get. He is too invested in owning the present to look back on his many accomplishments.

Perhaps that will come someday.

Here are the closers ahead of him on the all-time saves list.

• Mariano Rivera (652)
• Trevor Hoffman (601)
• Kenley Jansen (483)
• Lee Smith (478)
• Craig Kimbrel (440)
• Francisco Rodriguez (437)
• John Franco (424)
• Billy Wagner (422)
• Dennis Eckersley (390)

 Of the nine ahead of Chapman, five (RIvera, Hoffman, Smith, Wagner and Eckersley) are in the Hall of Fame.

Could Chapman be on a path to Cooperstown?

“I’ve been asked that question lately, a lot,” Chapman said. “At the end of the day, every ballplayer would like to be in the Hall of Fame. At the same time, the only thing that I can control right now is to go out there and keep playing, keep performing every single day, and put up numbers, and at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.”

In the near future, there will be an even more significant milestone for Chapman. At 1,354 strikeouts, Chapman is only 10 punchouts from passing Hoyt Wilhelm for most strikeouts for a reliever all-time. Yes, it is somewhat humorous that Chapman, who was at the forefront of MLB’s current velocity revolution, now chases just a knuckleballer for most career strikeouts for a non-starter.

Chapman chuckled when that was relayed to him, and added this: “Like I said before, that will be the result of the consistency and the hard work I’ve put in throughout the years.”

Consistent greatness would be a better way of putting it. 

Even at this supposedly late stage of his career, Chapman is absolutely dealing. He reached 10th place in saves at the age of 38, yet with no signs of slowing down.  

In fact, Chapman has reached rarified air on the strength of a dominant run that started last season.

In converting his last 27 save opportunities dating back to July 26, 2025, he has done so by allowing a total of no runs and three hits in 25 innings.

He is tied with Atlanta’s Raisel Iglesias for MLB’s longest active saves streak. The only two closers in Sox history who have had longer save streaks than the one Chapman is currently on? Tom Gordon (54 in a row from 1998-99) and Koji Uehara (31 straight from 2013-14).

Could it be that Chapman has pitched as well as he ever has in his 17th season?

“I don’t know. I guess so, maybe,” Chapman said. “I don’t check numbers or anything like that. but I do think I’ve felt good here [since  coming to Boston] and I’ve pitched well, so maybe, yes.”

The reason Chapman hasn’t succumbed to the aging process yet is that he’s doing everything in his power to prevent it. No Red Sox player works up more sweat before games than Chapman, who is constantly lifting weights and doing other forms of exercise in his quest to maintain his dominance. There isn’t a pregame day in the Boston clubhouse that  Chapman doesn’t walk through at some point completely lathered in sweat.

And those little nuances of staying sharp that might seem mundane to every 38-year-old pitcher still keep Chapman going. Those nuances are required in a job where the workload is typically dependent on the score of the game.

“I take my catch play very seriously,” Chapman said. “I know there will be some stretches I don’t pitch for a few days, and that’s my time to stay ready and stay prepared for the game. When the game comes, I’m ready, just jumping back into what I was doing. Like I said before, it all comes down to preparation and consistency between outings and throughout my career.”

Was there a point Chapman realized he could be elite late into his 30s?

“There was never a point or a moment that I thought about that,” Chapman said. “For me, it’s just preparation, staying healthy and doing the thing that I love, and that’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here in the big leagues, and that’s what drives me to pitch every single day.”

One thing is clear as the Sox get ready for a six-game homestand that starts on Friday against the Twins. They need to start making Fenway friendly again. While Boston is actually over .500 on the road at 14-13, the club is a disappointing 8-14 playing at what is supposed to be one of the most advantageous home-field advantages in the Majors. 

The main issue at home has been the offense, or lack thereof. Given that the club made some improvements in the hitting department in the last two games in Kansas City, the hope is that maybe that will carry into Fenway. The Sox are 1-5-1 in home series, and haven’t won a set at Fenway Park since taking two out of three from the Brewers on April 6.

After the Twins series over the weekend, the Sox have Memorial Day off and then entertain the Braves for a three-game set that starts Tuesday night.

Ace Garrett Crochet threw off the mound for the third time in the last week on Wednesday in Kansas City, this time extending to two innings in the bullpen. While he wasn’t thrilled with his mechanics, Crochet is feeling strong physically in his return from left shoulder inflammation.

He will throw an abbreviated bullpen at Fenway Park on either Friday or Saturday, with the intent to face hitters towards the beginning of next week.

Given the steps he still has to take, the best-case scenario would have Crochet returning to Boston’s rotation in the first or second week of June.

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