It was a fitting way for Aroldis Chapman to reach a historic career save milestone.
The flamethrowing left-hander came to MLB as a Cincinnati Reds phenom. And on Wednesday, it was against the Reds that Chapman reached his latest mark.
Pitching for the Boston Red Sox, Chapman recorded the 350th save of his Major League Baseball career. That's good for 14th all-time.
“It means a lot, means a lot,” Chapman told MassLive. “It’s (a reminder of) all the hard work you put in and also means your team wins. The 350 saves means that your team has won that many times.”
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Chapman came up through the Reds system in a hurry after joining Cincinnati from Cuba. He debuted as a 22-year old, and he quickly became the most phenomenal flamethrower in the league.
He would play six seasons for the Reds, recording 146 saves.
Chapman added 153 saves with the Yankees, 16 with the Cubs, 14 with the Pirates, four with the Rangers and two with the Royals.
The big southpaw is up to 15 and counting this season with Boston.
He has a career 2.57 ERA and has struck out an absurd 14.7 batters per nine innings.
Chapman remains a dominant force even at 37 years old.
And on Wednesday, against his first big league team, Chapman reminded us how far he has come and how good he still is.
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