| Aroldis Chapman | |||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Chapman with the New York Yankees in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 45 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: February 28, 1988 Holguín, Cuba | |||||||||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||||||||
| August 31, 2010, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 55–45 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 2.63 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 1,246 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Saves | 335 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (Spanish: [aˈɾoldis ˈtʃaβman]; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers and in the Cuban National Series for Holguín. Chapman bats and throws left-handed, and is nicknamed "the Cuban Missile", due to his high fastball velocity. A member of the 300 save club, Chapman is the all-time leader in strikeouts for left-handed relievers, and he is regarded as one of the greatest closers of all time.[1][2]
Chapman pitched for Holguín domestically and internationally for the Cuba national baseball team. He defected from Cuba in 2009 and signed a contract with the Reds in 2010. Chapman made his MLB debut that season. He won the MLB Delivery Man of the Month Award as the best relief pitcher for July 2012, was named to four straight National League All-Star teams from 2012 to 2015. The Reds traded Chapman to the Yankees after the 2015 season, and the Yankees traded Chapman to the Cubs during the 2016 season. With the Cubs, Chapman won Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. He rejoined the Yankees after the 2016 season. He was named the AL Reliever of the Year in 2019. Following six seasons with New York, Chapman signed a one-year deal with the Royals before being traded to the Rangers at the trade deadline, winning the 2023 World Series with the team for his second championship.
On July 11, 2014, Chapman broke the record, previously held by Bruce Sutter, for the most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout, having struck out at least one batter in 40 consecutive appearances. Chapman's streak began on August 21, 2013,[3] and lasted 49 consecutive games over two seasons, with the 49th and final game being on August 13, 2014. Chapman currently has the record for the fastest recorded pitch speed in MLB history, at 105.8 miles per hour (170.3 km/h),[4] as well as the Guinness World Record for fastest baseball pitch.[5]
- ^ Stumpf, Alex. "Chapman No. 1 in K's (1,197) among lefty relievers, passing Wagner". MLB.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Gorman, Kevin (July 6, 2024). "After setting strikeout record for lefty relievers, Cooperstown calls on Pirates' Aroldis Chapman". bradfordera.com. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Randhawa, Manny (July 12, 2014). "Aroldis sets MLB record with K in 40th straight game". MLB.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
105.1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Fastest baseball pitch (male)". Guinness World Records. September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2016.