Ex-Yankee closer ignites Hall of Fame talk with shocking velocity

It's been years since Aroldis Chapman last took the mound at Yankee Stadium wearing pinstripes, but his fastball still echoes through the memories of Yankees fans. Now, at 37 years old and pitching for the Red Sox, Chapman has once again reminded everyone why he remains one of baseball's most electrifying—and polarizing—figures.
A recent tweet from Codify Baseball highlighted Chapman's unique dominance: he holds the record for the fastest pitch in the Statcast era for not just the Yankees but also the Reds, Cubs, Royals, Rangers, Pirates, and now the Red Sox. Pitching Ninja summed it up simply, dubbing Chapman's latest outing "Jet Fuel," showcasing pitches clocking in at 101, 103, and 102 mph. His fastest of the night? An astounding 103.4 mph, a staggering number considering his age.
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Yankees fans witnessed Chapman's highs and lows firsthand.
Former New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman pitches for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. © Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
There is the adrenaline of seeing that triple-digit fastball close out crucial games, tempered by the heartbreak of moments when his command betrayed him. There was an awkward smile on his face after giving up the game-winning, American League Championship Series-clinching home run to Jose Altuve in 2019 and his failure to show up for the postseason, literally, in 2022.
His tenure in the Bronx was a rollercoaster, exhilarating but not without moments of frustration.
Yet, the recent conversation sparked by Pitching Ninja's tweet poses a compelling question: Should Aroldis Chapman be enshrined in Cooperstown? A solid 63% of respondents say yes, reflecting a growing acknowledgment of his career accomplishments.
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While some Yankee faithful might hesitate due to postseason disappointments, it's impossible to ignore Chapman's impact on the game. Chapman's ability to consistently rewrite velocity records across multiple franchises places him in rare company.
As the debate continues, Yankees fans might be wrestling with mixed emotions. But one thing is certain: Aroldis Chapman's legacy, like his fastball, is undeniably scorching.
Related: Juan Soto Shares Thoughts on Expected Bronx Backlash Ahead of His Return
Related: Gleyber Torres Sends Clear Message to Yankees After Latest Injury

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San Francisco Chronicle​

10 minutes ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

Giants yet to see the benefit of Rafael Devers deal as they fall to Red Sox

When Buster Posey conducted his first San Francisco Giants shakeup on June 4, the team won seven straight. San Francisco's top baseball official then stunned the industry by acquiring slugger Rafael Devers on June 15, but the Giants have since lost four of five. Friday, the Red Sox — who dealt Devers away five days earlier — came to Oracle Park and stayed hot, earning their eighth win in nine games by downing San Francisco 7-5. The Red Sox's top home-run threat was, until Sunday, Devers. Friday, they got blasts from David Hamilton, a two-run shot in the third, and in the sixth, a solo homer by Ceddanne Rafaela that provided the winning margin. 'It's baseball, it's a business,' Boston manager Alex Cora said before the game when asked about Devers. 'He's not the first guy that got traded, he's not the last guy that's going to get traded. … From my end, I turn the page, man. I've got 26 guys in that locker room that are ready to go. We're in a good spot playoff-wise. It's still early in the season, but the boys are doing an outstanding job staying in the moment. We've got a big series here and our goal is to win.' Devers got a standing ovation his first at-bat from the Giants' fans, and a lot of Red Sox fans, too, and in the third, he created a stir with a blast to left center, but Rafaela caught it just in front of the wall. Devers was 0-for-5 Friday and is 3-for-16 with two doubles, two walks and an RBI with San Francisco. The Giants had zero homers and went 2-for-10 with men in scoring position but they did interrupt a string of three consecutive games with just two runs scored by scoring three in the first two innings. They handed them right back in the third and fourth — then gave up more in the fifth, sixth and seventh. A poor plan of action. Red Sox 7, Giants 5 Boston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Totals 39 7 11 6 1 10 Duran lf 5 1 2 0 0 1.260 Narváez c 5 0 0 0 0 3.270 Anthony dh 4 1 1 1 1 1.097 Toro 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1.293 Abreu rf 4 1 2 1 0 1.250 Story ss 4 0 0 0 0 2.227 Mayer 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1.206 Rafaela cf 4 2 3 2 0 0.255 Hamilton 2b 4 1 2 2 0 0.186 San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Totals 32 5 7 2 8 8 Yastrzemski rf 4 1 1 1 1 1.259 Ramos lf 5 1 2 0 0 2.283 Devers dh 5 0 0 0 0 1.188 Flores 1b 5 0 1 1 0 0.255 Lee cf 4 0 0 0 0 0.255 Adames ss 2 2 1 0 2 1.206 Schmitt 3b 3 1 2 0 1 1.250 Bailey c 1 0 0 0 3 1.189 Koss 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0.219 a-Johnson ph 0 0 0 0 0 0.222 b-Fitzgerald ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 1.237 c-Smith ph 0 0 0 0 1 0.289 1-Wisely pr-2b 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 Boston 002 121 100_7 11 1 San Francisco 120 110 000_5 7 1 a- for Koss in the 6th. b-struck out for Johnson in the 6th. c-walked for Fitzgerald in the 8th. 1-ran for Smith in the 8th. E_Hamilton (4), Koss (2). LOB_Boston 6, San Francisco 8. 2B_Rafaela (12), Abreu (9), Toro (9). HR_Hamilton (3), off Birdsong; Rafaela (7), off Hjelle. RBIs_Hamilton 2 (10), Rafaela 2 (28), Anthony (5), Abreu (33), Yastrzemski (25), Flores (54). SB_Duran (15). Runners left in scoring position_Boston 1 (Toro); San Francisco 4 (Yastrzemski 3, Fitzgerald). RISP_Boston 4 for 8; San Francisco 2 for 10. Runners moved up_Mayer, Ramos, Devers 2, Koss 2. GIDP_Koss. DP_Boston 2 (Hamilton, Story, Toro; Mayer, Hamilton, Toro). Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Dobbins 4 4 5 4 5 1 75 4.10 Bernardino, W, 3-2 1 1 0 0 0 0 13 3.10 Kelly, H, 2 2-3 0 0 0 1 2 14 5.79 Wilson, H, 11 1 1 0 0 0 1 14 2.08 Weissert, H, 14 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2.62 Whitlock, H, 7 1 1 0 0 2 2 34 2.82 Chapman, S, 14-15 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 1.41 San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Birdsong 4 1-3 7 5 4 1 4 85 3.25 Hjelle, L, 1-1 1 2 1 1 0 0 19 4.66 Miller 2-3 0 0 0 0 1 10 1.07 Lucchesi 1-3 2 1 1 0 1 8 13.50 Walker 1 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 20 4.20 Bivens 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 3.11 Inherited runners-scored_Bernardino 1-1, Wilson 1-0, Weissert 1-0, Hjelle 1-0, Miller 1-0, Walker 1-0. WP_Wilson. Umpires_Home, Doug Eddings; First, Mike Muchlinski; Second, Gabe Morales; Third, Emil Jimenez. T_2:53. A_40,169 (41,915). Hayden Birdsong was the Giants starter and he had his worst start since joining the rotation in mid-May. He gave up the two-run homer to Hamilton, Boston's No. 9 hitter and a single run in the fourth. In the fifth, things just went south altogether. Jarren Duran led off with a single and stole second and with one out, Roman Anthony singled him in and took second when Jung Hoo Lee missed the cutoff man. Abraham Toro then reached on Christian Koss' error at second, which allowed Anthony to score. The damage to Birdsong: five runs, four earned. He hadn't allowed more than three in his previous five starts. Koss also hit into two double plays, not great, but both came with no outs and the bases loaded and sent in runs. The Giants also scored a run without a hit in the first, when Mike Yastrzemski led off by walking against Hunter Dobbins, went to second and third on groundouts and scored when Hamilton flat missed Wilmer Flores' big bouncer to second. That's three runs without hits; the first that came in on an actual hit, well, wasn't much of one. In the second, Yastrzemski sent Casey Schmitt home with a sharp shot up the middle that Dobbins ill-advisedly swiped at, knocking it down in front of the mound. Only Flores' line drive to center in the fifth, which sent in Heliot Ramos, reached the outfield. The Giants again loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth but Garrett Whitlock struck out Yastrzemski to end the inning. Before the game, Devers and Cora both said they hadn't spoken since the trade but planned to say hi at some point this series. 'Nothing in this business is personal,' Cora said. 'That's something that, throughout the years, Xander Bogaerts is in San Diego, it's not personal. Mookie Betts is in L.A., it's not personal. Rafi Devers is with the Giants, it's not personal.'

Associated Press

11 minutes ago

• Associated Press

Rafaela hits a tiebreaking homer and Red Sox keep Devers hitless in a 7-5 win over the Giants

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Boston Globe

15 minutes ago

• Boston Globe

Red Sox battle back from early deficits, win opener against Giants as Rafael Devers goes hitless

Rafaela's double in the third was the Red Sox' first hit of the night. His two-out single in the fourth plated the tying run. And his homer in the sixth gave the team what wound up a permanent lead. Advertisement In his first 52 games this season, Rafaela had a lone three-hit game as he hit .221. In the 20 games since, he has three and a .338 average. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In his first game against the Red Sox, just five days after their stunning trade of him, Devers mustered a harmless 0-for-5. It wasn't for a lack of trying. In the seventh inning, as he represented the potential tying run against lefty reliever Justin Wilson, Devers endeavored to take several mighty hacks but never made solid contact. He flied out to Rafaela in medium-depth center. Devers also struck out against Aroldis Chapman — on a 101.8-m.p.h. fastball — for the penultimate out in the ninth. San Francisco's last, best chance came in the eighth, when it had two on with one out. Righthander Garrett Whitlock struck out Patrick Bailey for the second out, walked Dominic Smith to load the bases, and won a seven-pitch showdown with Mike Yastrzemski, who whiffed on a slider for strike three — Whitlock's 34th pitch of the inning. Advertisement Red Sox righthander Hunter Dobbins (four-plus innings, five runs, four earned) and Giants righthander Hayden Birdsong (4⅓ innings, five runs, four earned) traded mediocre blows for the first or so of the game, which included six tying or go-ahead plays. Dobbins's outing was weird. He walked five batters, including the leadoff man in the first and second innings, and three of those batters scored. Twice, he allowed San Francisco to load the bases with no outs, but both times he induced a run-scoring double-play grounder from No. 9 hitter Christian Koss — a former Sox minor leaguer. Of the four hits off Dobbins, only one went cleanly to the outfield. That came from Heliot Ramos, who lined a leadoff single to right to open the bottom of the fifth. Manager Alex Cora pulled Dobbins — who had faced 20 batters, his approximate limit lately — instead of letting him face Devers for a third time. Birdsong, conversely, looked dominant early — six up, six down on 19 pitches — before falling apart. David Hamilton burned him for a two-run home run in the third, and Rafaela added a tying single in the fourth. Roman Anthony contributed an RBI single — the first single of his career — scorched 112 miles per hour to center field in the fifth. The Giants plated their first run on Hamilton's two-out error in the first inning. Wilmer Flores sent a soft line drive in his direction and it deflected off Hamilton's glove, allowing Flores to reach and Yastrzemski to score. Advertisement In the second inning, Yastrzemski's single — a hard ground ball off Dobbins's glove on a behind-the-back fielding attempt — was the Giants' first hit, but brought in their third run. Tim Healey can be reached at