Aroldis Chapman Sets Pirates Record
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman set a new franchise record in the win over the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.
Chapman struckout Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins en route to his 12th save of the season in the 2-1 win. That strikeout is the 95th of the season, which is the most for a left-handed relief pitcher in Pirates history.
Aroldis Chapman now holds the record for most strikeouts in a single season by a Pirates left-handed relief pitcher. pic.twitter.com/Su6s3Mh2l9
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 26, 2024
Chapman signed a one-year $10.5 million contract with the Pirates on Jan. 29. He has a 3.90 ERA in 60.0 innings pitched and 66 appearances out of the bullpen. He also has 95 strikeouts to 39 walks, and allowed just 22 earned runs on the season.
He has had a long career in the MLB, as the 36-year old has pitched in almost 800 games and 15 seasons at the highest level of the game.
Chapman has a 2.64 ERA in 758.1 innings pitched, 1,243 strikeouts to 393 walks, a 1.11 WHIP, 14.8 K/9, plus 332 saves.
He also holds the record for most strikeouts for a left-handed relief pitcher, when he passed Billy Wagner on June 29 in the loss to the Atlanta Braves, when he reached 1,197 strikeouts.
Chapman spent his first six seasons, 2010-15, with NL Central rival in the Cincinnati Reds. He was a four-time All-Star from 2012-15 and his 2012 season serving as his best, when he had a 1.51 ERA, 38 saves in 43 opportunties, 122 strikeouts to 43 walks in his 71.2 innings pitched.
The Reds traded him to the New York Yankees prior to the 2016 season, who then traded him to the Chicago Cubs, where he would win the World Series and finished as the winning pitcher in Game 7 over the Cleveland Indians.
He spent the next five seasons with the Yankees, 2017-22, and was a three-time All-Star in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
His 2019 season saw him have 37 saves in 42 opportunities, 2.21 ERA in 57.0 innings pitched, 85 strikeouts to 25 walks, a 13.4 K/9 and just 14 earned runs allowed. He earned MLB All-Second Team and American League Reliever of the Year honors for his performance.
The Cuban would play for the Kansas City Royals in 2023, who traded him to the Texas Rangers, giving him his second World Series ring.
DOMINIC CAMPBELL