Aroldis Chapman Adds Another Milestone, Passes Red Sox Hall of Famer

The Boston Red Sox closer passed a familiar face on the all-time saves list.

Apr 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) and catcher Carlos Narvaez (75) celebrate beating the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox clearly made a good move by bringing Aroldis Chapman to town ahead of the 2025 season.

At the time, it wasn't clear what role he would play in Boston. Chapman was coming off a solid 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he logged a 3.79 ERA in 68 appearances. He had 14 saves that season but had his role bounce around between closer and set-up man. Those 14 saves were still his most in a season, at the time, since he had 30 saves in 2021 as a member of the New York Yankees.

When he joined the Red Sox last offseason, he had a chance to compete for the closer job and he won it out of camp. In response, he recorded 32 saves in 2025, his most since 2019. That's not all, though. He logged a 1.17 ERA in 67 appearances while striking out 85 batters. In the process, he won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award.

The Red Sox closer made MLB history on Friday

Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) throws a pitch in the ninth inning of the MLB Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The Reds lost the season opener, 3-0. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Red Sox got a deal done with him early for the 2026 season and he has been equally as good. He hasn't allowed a run yet in three outings and has two saves under his belt. The second save came on Friday against the San Diego Padres. In the process, Chapman actually passed Red Sox Hall of Famer, Jonathan Papelbon, for sole possession of 11th place on the all-time league saves list with 368.

Chapman has a chance to inch up the list even more. Right now, he has two saves on the season. If he can match his 2025 season total, that would add 30 saves to his tally. In that case, he'd finish the season with 398 saves if he has 32 saves in 2026, like he did in 2025.

That would move him ahead of Dennis Eckersley on the all-time list and into the top-10. If he reaches 398, he would have the ninth-most saves of all-time. If he can reach 34 saves this season, he will become just the ninth player in league history to reach the milestone, along with active relievers Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel, both of whom pitched for the Red Sox before.

After Boston moved on from Jansen, it needed a new closer. Fortunately, Chapman fell into their lap and has been electric ever since.