Fastball

Aroldis Chapman Sets New Mark in Major League History This Weekend

This weekend, as the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the Atlanta Braves, veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman claimed a special place in baseball history.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Aroldis Chapman (45) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park on June 29.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Aroldis Chapman (45) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park on June 29. / Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports
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In a series this weekend against the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates' reliever Aroldis Chapman claimed a special piece of baseball history.

Per the Pirates on social media:

Making history.

Aroldis Chapman is now the all-time leader in strikeouts among left-handed relief pitchers in MLB history.

The 36-year-old native of Cuba has been dominating hitters with his fastball ever since his major league debut in 2010. He's now in his 15th season with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Pirates. He has won two different World Series championships (2016 - Cubs and 2023 - Rangers).

He has now struck out 1,197 hitters in his career. Lifetime, he's 50-43 with a 2.58 ERA. He also has 324 saves and is a seven-time All-Star. He surpassed left-hander Billy Wagner on this strikeout list.

Chapman has transitioned into more of a set-up role at this point in his career, but he is acting as the Pirates' closer right now in the absence of injured stopper David Bednar.

Pittsburgh is currently 40-43 on the year and in third place in the National League Central. Because of mediocre nature of the National League this season, the Pirates are only 3.0 games back of a wild card berth. Should they decide to sell at the deadline, Chapman could be a piece who would be on the move.

There is a limited three-game schedule around baseball on Monday but the Pirates will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the St. Louis Cardinals at 6:40 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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