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Red Sox Year in Review 2026: Looking Back at Aroldis Chapman's Season
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- Red Sox Year in Review 2026: Looking Back at Aroldis Chapman's Season
Red Sox Year in Review 2026: Looking Back at Aroldis Chapman's Season originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Red Sox winning season was anchored by its pitching staff, which once again featured a dominant Aroldis Chapman closing games.
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The 38-year-old showed no signs of slowing down as he produced another stellar season, which included an All-Star game nod and him reaching a milestone. Although Chapman continues to get older, his stuff is still electric as perhaps the best lefty reliever in the game.
With Chapman continuing to lock down the end of games, the Red Sox were able to find the right pitching formula that produced many wins in the Summer. Chapman's performance certainly helped Chad Tracy settle down in his chaotic first season as manager.
Here's a look back at Chapman's 2026 season.
Red Sox Year in Review 2026: Aroldis Chapman
Chapman's season played a big part in the Red Sox' success in 2026. The veteran had another season with at least 30 saves, making the All-Star team for the second time as a Red Sox player and ninth time in his career.
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Chapman's 35 saves were tied for the fifth-most in the majors this season, while his 1.92 ERA was also among the best reliever ERAs this season. Chapman also reached a career milestone, becoming the ninth player in MLB history to reach 400 saves in his career.
Chapman was particularly dominant in July, getting almost a third of his saves in that month while allowing just one run in 12 innings. His success at the end of games played a key role in the Red Sox 15-game winning streak in the middle of July.
With another successful season under Chapman's belt, both he and the Red Sox opted into their $13 million mutual option for 2027, allowing the closer to return next year.
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Aroldis Chapman's Most Memorable Moment
While Chapman is best known for his dominance on the mound, his most memorable moment in 2026 was probably a play he made as a fielder. Prior to turning their season around, the Red Sox were on the road to play a strong Atlanta Braves team when Chapman was called on to protect a 3-2 lead.
After getting the first two outs, three Braves reached on an error and two Chapman walks, putting the closer in a tough spot with the bases loaded. Atlanta sent up shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who had a brutal season but had a chance to come through for the Braves.
Kim hit a hard ground ball that ricocheted off of Chapman, which could've spelled disaster for the Red Sox. However, Chapman recovered with an incredibly athletic play, getting to the ball and flipping it to first to get the out, ending the game and keeping Atlanta from tying the game.
As for personal moments, Chapman collected his 400th career save against the Baltimore Orioles in early September during the Red Sox four-game sweep.
Aroldis Chapman Stats for 2026 Season
| Games |
Innings |
ERA |
WHIP |
Saves |
Strikeouts |
Walks |
bWAR |
fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 |
51.2 |
1.92 |
1.12 |
35 |
71 |
23 |
1.9 |
1.6 |
While Chapman wasn't quite as dominant as he was in his first year with the Red Sox, Boston's closer was once again one of the best relievers in baseball. Chapman produced a second straight season with an ERA under 2.00 while producing 35 saves, which were actually three more than he had for the Red Sox in 2025.
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Chapman did walk more batters and allow more hits this year than he did last year, while surrendering as many home runs in 2026 as he did in 2025. Still, the numbers didn't significantly spike, allowing him to maintain his place as a top reliever in baseball.
