Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman has reached a new level of dominance as the postseason draws near, and the rest of the American League should be on high alert.
Chapman continued his dominant season in Sunday’s 7-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming only the third player in franchise history to record four strikeouts in an inning. Not only did Chapman lower his ERA to an incredible 0.98, but the eight-time All-Star has now recorded 17 consecutive appearances without allowing a hit.
The 37-year-old Chapman has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings, putting him six shy of tying Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s 1977 streak. However, Chapman is only one inning away from becoming the first reliever with 16 consecutive no-hit innings; every pitcher that accomplished the feat, including Eckersley, did so as a starting pitcher and threw a traditional no-hitter in that stretch.
Chapman has struck out 22 of the last 50 hitters he’s faced, and he’s only walked four in that span.
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Has Aroldis Chapman sealed his spot in the Hall of Fame?
Aroldis Chapman's 4 strikeouts in the 9th.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 7, 2025
He's now at 50 consecutive hitters without a hit. 😳 pic.twitter.com/hXGIo2dfVi
Every player’s Baseball-Reference page includes the aptly named Hall of Fame Monitor, a system designed to determine exactly what it sounds like: Is a player a Hall of Famer, based on the statistical baseline at their position? By no means is it a perfect system, especially considering that some players hurt their chances via performance-enhancing drugs or off-field issues, but it’s a strong starting point in any Hall of Fame conversations.
Chapman’s Hall of Fame Monitor score is 109, and the “Likely” Hall of Famer is roughly around 100. For comparison, All-Star closer Billy Wagner tallied a 107 Hall of Fame Monitor score, and voters elected Wagner to the Hall of Fame this past cycle. Wagner has 422 saves to Chapman’s 364, though, and recorded 27.7 bWAR to Chapman’s 24.1.
Solely based on his statistics, Chapman definitely has a case for the Hall of Fame. Five of the 12 relievers ahead of Chapman on the all-time saves list are in the Hall of Fame, and Kenley Jansen (473) and Craig Kimbrel (450) could find themselves in Cooperstown before too long.
However, some voters may opt not to include Chapman on their ballot because of his off-field history. Major League Baseball suspended Chapman for 30 games in 2016 for allegedly assaulting his partner and firing eight shots in the garage of his Florida home.
“Note that I have not used allegations of domestic violence to disqualify candidates from consideration, though such matters are far more serious than PEDs,” Hall of Fame voter Jay Jaffe wrote last winter. Jaffe notably cited the character clause when he refused to vote for Curt Schilling in 2020 following Schilling’s social media controversies. “I can certainly understand voters choosing to rule such candidates out.”
For now, Chapman’s priority should be making history and helping the Red Sox to their fifth championship since 2004. Afterwards, voters will weigh his career achievements against his off-field history.