In last night's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Aroldis Chapman earned his 20th save of the season as the closer for the Cincinnati Reds - but that's not all. He also set a Major League Baseball record as the game concluded.
Perhaps Chapman would have beaten this record earlier in the year, but he missed some time after getting hit above the left eye with a line drive on March 19 during a spring training game. He suffered a number of facial fractures and was placed on the disabled list. Since his return on May 10, the hard-throwing lefty has posted a 2.20 ERA with 20 saves and 57 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
Now he's solidified himself as a notable closer in baseball history. After shutting the door on the Pirates last night to earn the Reds a 6-5 victory, Chapman set an MLB record with a strikeout in his 40th straight relief appearance. This breaks a 37-year-old record previously help by Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter whose streak was at 39 appearances. Chapman flirted with this streak back in 2011-2012 when he reached 34 consecutive appearances, but now he's the record holder.
The streak obviously dates back to last season where it reached 12 games when the year ended. In 28 relief appearances this year Chapman has fanned at least one batter and struck out the side seven times, including last night after he faced Jordy Mercer, Michael Martinez, and Matt Hague. Of the 108 batters he has faced this season, the 26-year-old struck out 52.8% of them while averaging 100 miles per hour on his fastball.
In his three-plus years as the Red's closer, Chapman has amassed a 15-15 record with a 2.38 ERA, 381 strikeouts, and 97 saves. 2012 was Chapman's best year after he recorded 38 saves in 71.2 innings pitched with a 1.51 ERA and 122 strikeouts - all career highs.
The Reds are currently in third place in the tight National League Central race with a 50-43 record. If Chapman continues his dominance and some notable players return from injury, the Reds will have no problem competing for the division title.
You can read more about Aroldis Chapman's MLB record-setting night in this NBC Sports HardBallTalk article.
