Career Timeline of Aroldis Chapman: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Aroldis Chapman made an impact.

Aroldis Chapman is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher, currently playing for the Boston Red Sox. Known as "the Cuban Missile" for his high-velocity fastball, Chapman has also played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. A left-handed pitcher, Chapman is a member of the 300 save club and holds the record for the most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever in MLB history.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2010: Average Fastball Speed in 2010

In 2010, Aroldis Chapman's fastball averaged 100.3 miles per hour.

April 18, 2011: Disparity in Speed Measurements

On April 18, 2011, Aroldis Chapman threw a pitch to Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen that the scoreboard clocked at 106 mph, but the Fox Sports Ohio broadcast listed it at 105.1 mph, and the PITCHf/x system calculated a release speed of 102.4 mph. The disparity between these speeds has been widely discussed.

September 24, 2011: Revised Fastest Pitch Thrown

In 2017, when MLB changed from the PITCHf/x to Statcast measurements, a pitch Aroldis Chapman threw to Tony Gwynn Jr. on September 24, 2011, was revised up to 105.8 mph and is now considered the fastest pitch thrown.

2011: Average Fastball Speed in 2011

In 2011, Aroldis Chapman's fastball averaged 98.6 miles per hour.

2011: Home Run Given Up To Luke Scott

In 2011, Luke Scott of the Baltimore Orioles hit a home run off Aroldis Chapman. This was Chapman's first home run given up to a left-handed batter since then.

August 2012: Fastball Speed Decline

Through August 2012, Aroldis Chapman's fastball speed had declined to 97.8 miles per hour, down from 100.3 miles per hour in 2010.

2012: Improvement in Control

After issuing 41 walks in 50 innings the previous season, in 2012, Aroldis Chapman walked 23 batters over 71+2⁄3 innings.

2015: Fastest Pitches of the Season

In 2015, Statcast revealed that Aroldis Chapman threw the 62 fastest pitches of the season, topping out at 103.92 miles per hour.

July 19, 2016: Matching Previous Record of Fastest Pitch

On July 19, 2016, Aroldis Chapman matched his previous record of 105.1 mph with a ball to Baltimore's J.J. Hardy.

December 15, 2016: Signing with the Yankees

On December 15, 2016, Aroldis Chapman signed a five-year, $86 million contract to return to the Yankees, which was the largest contract given to a relief pitcher at the time.

2016: Winning the World Series with the Chicago Cubs

In 2016, Aroldis Chapman played a crucial role in the World Series with the Cubs facing elimination. He pitched in Games 5, 6, and 7. Despite blowing a save in Game 7, the Cubs won in extra innings, making Chapman the winning pitcher and securing his first World Series title.

May 14, 2017: Placement on disabled list

On May 14, 2017, Chapman was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to rotator cuff inflammation in his left shoulder.

2017: Fastest Pitch Hit for a Home Run in Statcast Era

In 2017, Rafael Devers hit a home run off a 103 mph pitch by Aroldis Chapman, making it the fastest pitch hit for a home run in the Statcast era at the time. Also in 2017, Chapman's fastest pitch was 104.3 miles per hour, best in MLB. His four-seam fastball had the highest average speed of any MLB pitcher's pitches in 2017, at 99.7 mph.

July 13, 2018: Skipping All-Star Game

On July 13, 2018, Aroldis Chapman announced that he would skip the All-Star Game to rest his knee due to tendinitis.

2018: Introduction of the Sinker Pitch

Since 2018, Aroldis Chapman added a sinker to his repertoire that tops out at 102 miles per hour and averages over 100 mph.

2019: AL Reliever of the Year Award

In 2019, Aroldis Chapman was 3-2 with 37 saves and a 2.21 ERA. He received the AL Reliever of the Month Award for both May and August, and the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award.

August 26, 2021: 300th Career Save

On August 26, 2021, Aroldis Chapman recorded his 300th career save, closing out a 7-6 victory against the Oakland Athletics.

2021: Last All-Star Game Appearance

Aroldis Chapman's last All-Star Game appearance was in 2021, prior to being named to the All-Star Game on July 6, 2025.

May 2022: Injured List

In May 2022, Aroldis Chapman went on the injured list due to achilles tendinitis and lost the closer role to Clay Holmes.

2022: Contract Surpassed

In 2022, Edwin Diaz surpassed Aroldis Chapman's contract to become the largest contract given to a relief pitcher.

January 27, 2023: Signing with the Kansas City Royals

On January 27, 2023, Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.

June 30, 2023: Traded to the Texas Rangers

On June 30, 2023, the Royals traded Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera. He later won his second World Series ring.

January 31, 2024: Signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 31, 2024, Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

June 29, 2024: Passing Billy Wagner for Most Strikeouts by a Left-Handed Reliever

On June 29, 2024, Aroldis Chapman recorded his 1,197th career strikeout to pass Billy Wagner for the most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever.

December 10, 2024: Signing with the Boston Red Sox

On December 10, 2024, Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

2024: Strikeout Percentage Among Pitchers

As of the end of the 2024 season, Aroldis Chapman has struck out 40 percent of batters faced, which is third most among pitchers who have thrown 400 innings.