Pittsburgh Review

PITTSBURGH -- Even 15 years into his Major League career, Aroldis Chapman continues to demonstrate exceptional pitching prowess. On Wednesday night, during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres, Chapman recorded pitches of 105.1 and 104.7 mph in a two-pitch sequence, with the latter being a called third strike to end a scoreless eighth inning.

“I think with Chap, you just know that you never know what you’re going to see,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton after the team's 9-8 loss in 10 innings to the Padres.

In a critical moment, San Diego had two runners on base with one out in a one-run game. The hard-throwing lefty managed to strike out Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado, maintaining the Pirates' lead.

After striking out Machado, Chapman posed and stared him down before heading to the dugout. "Just something he told me,” Chapman explained through interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “And then when he said it, I started laughing." When asked for further details, Chapman simply responded, “Something.”

Chapman remains unmatched in throwing pitches at or above 105.1 mph since pitch tracking began in 2008. His last pitch over this speed was recorded on July 22, 2016, against the Giants at 105.2 mph. The recent 104.7 mph third strike to Machado ties with Ben Joyce's similar pitch on Aug. 3 for the hardest strikeout pitch in this era.

This performance underscores Chapman's place among baseball's elite left-handed relievers. Earlier this season, he surpassed Billy Wagner for most strikeouts by a southpaw reliever. Since the All-Star break, Chapman has allowed just one run over eight innings while striking out 13 batters.

"It feels good to be in that spot right now,” said Chapman. “I struggled a little bit earlier in the season. And as a pitcher ... you just want to be ahead in counts and attacking the strike zone, and I think I'm in a pretty good spot right now."

Reflecting on his lengthy career, Chapman remarked, "I think I've had a long career already. I don't think I need to show people what I can do because I've done it already for many years. I don't think I have to show anything else anymore."

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