The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Friday, with relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman making baseball history in the process. He struck out Dominican infielder Denzer Guzman in the ninth inning to record his 1,364th career strikeout, becoming the relief pitcher with the most strikeouts in MLB.

Chapman reached this milestone with a 98.6 mph fastball, even though he is best known for throwing pitches faster than 100 mph. Nicknamed the “Cuban Missile,” he holds the record for the fastest pitch thrown in MLB history at 105.8 mph.

After securing the record-breaking strikeout, Aroldis Chapman took a brief moment to smile and acknowledge the history he had just created. Quickly refocusing on securing the victory for the Boston Red Sox, he remained calm after allowing two subsequent hits, eventually inducing a game-ending double play from the Angels.

With the win, Chapman earned his 384th career save and broke Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm’s relief strikeout record, which had stood since 1972. Following the outing, his 2026 season statistics stood at a stellar 2.10 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and 12 walks across 27 appearances (25⅔ innings).

The Boston Red Sox players celebrated Chapman’s historic achievement in the clubhouse after the game. His teammates watched a special video highlighting his 16-year MLB career, from his debut to this moment. After watching the video, Chapman spoke about reaching the milestone and shared how proud and happy he felt.

“I feel very happy, very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Chapman said in the postgame press conference in Anaheim. “I was just focused on doing the job day in and day out. … I try to stay positive throughout, keep a positive mindset, and know that when God wants it to happen, it’s going to happen. God wanted it to happen today.”

Interim manager Chad Tracy also praised Chapman, admitting that the whole team was awaiting this achievement.

“We’ve been waiting for that one,” Tracy said. “The cool thing is, watching the video, you’re seeing him at a young age throwing 102, and he’s still doing it. It’s just incredible. A cool night, a special, special night for him.”

Chapman left Cuba in 2009 to begin his MLB career. Since then, he has played for seven different teams, earned eight All-Star selections, and moved into 10th place on MLB’s all-time saves list. He now has 384 career saves, which puts him 10th on Major League Baseball’s all-time saves list. He needs just six more saves to move into ninth place by passing Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley.

He has also converted 29 consecutive save opportunities. The streak is the third-longest in Boston Red Sox history since saves became an official MLB statistic in 1969. Only Tom Gordon (54 consecutive saves) and Koji Uehara (31) have recorded longer save streaks for the Red Sox. Rookie pitcher Jake Bennett spoke about how it feels special just to share the locker room with Chapman.

“It’s incredible,” he said. “It’s incredible to even just be a part of a team that it happens on.”

Chapman’s record-breaking achievement is not the only reason he has drawn attention this season. The veteran closer has continued to pitch at a high level, making him one of the Red Sox’s most reliable relievers. After another strong outing on Friday, Boston’s decision to re-sign him to a one-year, $13.3 million contract last August looks like a smart move. At the same time, his impressive form has also fueled speculation ahead of the MLB trade deadline, with contenders expected to be in the market for bullpen help.

Where could Aroldis Chapman end up before the trade deadline?

As the MLB trade deadline gets closer, some baseball experts believe the Chicago White Sox should try to trade for Aroldis Chapman. The White Sox have played better than expected this season and currently have a 45-41 record, which puts them in first place in the American League Central division.

Former MLB executive Steve Phillips said on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the White Sox do not have as much playoff experience as other top teams. He believes adding an experienced player like Chapman, who has played in 46 playoff games in his career and recorded 11 saves, could help the team perform better when it matters the most.

“They have a total of 68 playoff games on their roster,” Phillips said. “The Guardians have over 300, the Tigers have over 200, and so that experience factor is something that they may need to address, as well as you get the deadline to get you through August and September. If they don’t want to go big at the deadline, but just make a trade for Aroldis Chapman to be your closer, like that’s okay, don’t do anything else, just get Chapman at the end…

I think you’re going to win those games at the end there, but Chapman going to the White Sox to me feels like it’s making a statement to support your team that you believe in them, but it’s not going to necessarily cost you your top-flight blue-chip prospects in the organization.”

Trade rumors are likely to continue as the deadline approaches, but Chapman’s recent performances have only shown how important he is to the Red Sox. After re-signing with Boston, the veteran closer has continued to deliver. Whether the Red Sox — who sit at 38–48 and are desperate for a midseason revival — will hold onto their historic closer or cash in on trade offers over the coming weeks remains to be seen.