How Does Aroldis Chapman's Hitless Streak Stack Up Against Best In MLB History?

The lefty is approaching truly rare air...

Sep 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) and catcher Connor Wong (12) celebrate beating the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

If you've watched Aroldis Chapman pitch for the Boston Red Sox of late, you may have noticed opposing batters struggling to do much damage.

Chapman allowed a solo home run to the Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto on July 23. Since then, he's faced 47 batters, and exactly zero of them have gotten hits, spanning a streak of 16 consecutive hitless outings.

Obviously, Chapman has been incredibly valuable to the Red Sox this season, so much so that they extended him for $13.3 million next season over the weekend. But just how does this incredible streak stack up against the best in history?

Aroldis Chapman's hitless streak, in perspective

According to an MLB.com story from May of last year, the longest hitless streak ever in games considered part of Major League Baseball history belongs to none other than Cy Young, who allowed no hits over a span of 24 innings in April and May of 1904.

Chapman has a long way to go before passing Young, as he's now at just 13 2/3 hitless innings. Some other benchmarks he'd have to pass along the way: Johnny Vander Meer's 21 innings in 1938, Dennis Eckersley's expansion era record of 21 in 1977, and Max Scherzer's 16 in 2015.

However, if we go by appearances rather than innings, Chapman broke a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays' Sergio Santos from 2013 (and others) for the third-longest hitless streak since 1901, according to ESPN.

So where should Chapman set his goal? He's just over halfway to Young's record, but Scherzer's 21st century mark is within reach. If he gets there, he can shoot for Eckersley's expansion era mark, but one thing at a time, especially in the middle of a playoff race.

The most important thing about not allowing hits, though, is guaranteeing that runs don't cross the plate, and Chapman has been the best at that in all of baseball this year. His 1.00 ERA is the best among all pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched this season.

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