Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman Loses Insane Hitless Streak In Gut-Punch Loss

What Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman was doing seemed too good to be true all along. And that's because even the most dominant baseball players have to lose sometimes.

On Wednesday, Chapman entered a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning and the meat of the Athletics order coming to the plate. He'd gone 50 at-bats without giving up a hit, but that was about to change on a dime.

Shea Langeliers teed off on a 1-2 splitter to open up the inning with a double. Brent Rooker lined one deep enough into right field to advance the runner to third. And again with two strikes, Lawrence Butler got the head out on a 100.2 mph fastball to line a walk-off single into shallow left field.

From 0-for-50 to 2-for-3. Baseball sure can change quickly.

Chapman's historic streak dies

Aug 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong (12) celebrates a win against the Baltimore Orioles with pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The last hit Chapman had given up prior to Langeliers' double was a solo home run to Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto on July 27. He piled up 21 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings during the streak, walking only four batters in the process.

According to WBZ News' Matt Geagan, Chapman's streak of 17 straight hitless appearances was the third-longest in Major League Baseball since at least 1901. He was bested by the Florida Marlins' Randy Choate in 2011 (20 appearances) and the New York Mets' Tim Byrdak in 2018 (18).

It's also just the second time all season Chapman has been on the mound for a walk-off, after the Chicago White Sox's Brooks Baldwin hit a pinch-hit frozen rope off him to win a game back on Apr. 12.

That was the first earned run Chapman allowed on the season. He's only given up six more since, and despite the loss, his ERA still sits at a ridiculous 1.14 at the conclusion of Wednesday's action.

The Red Sox had plenty of chances to win this game in other ways, from bad situational hitting early to a sloppy inning from Justin Slaten to David Hamilton getting caught stealing in the ninth.

It's a painful reminder that even Chapman can't bail them out every time, and though they won the series, they missed a golden opportunity to sweep and they lost a game of ground to the Texas Rangers, the first team on the outside of the playoff picture.

Their magic number to clinch their first postseason berth since 2021 sits at 12 with 15 games to play.

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