On the night of September 4, 2026, Aroldis Chapman retired the final three Baltimore batters on 11 pitches and recorded the 399th save of his major league career. One more and the Cuban-born Red Sox closer becomes the ninth pitcher in MLB history to reach 400 — a list that took more than a century of baseball to fill its first eight spots.
The Hardest Club in Baseball to Join
Only eight relievers in the history of the major leagues have reached 400 saves. The list reads like a Hall of Fame roll call:
- Mariano Rivera — 652
- Trevor Hoffman — 601
- Kenley Jansen — 493
- Lee Smith — 478
- Craig Kimbrel — 441
- Francisco Rodríguez — 437
- John Franco — 424
- Billy Wagner — 422
Chapman, at 399, is standing at the door. The last man to walk through it was Kimbrel, on May 26, 2023 with the Phillies. No one has crossed that line since. Chapman would be No. 9.
There’s another number that puts his consistency in perspective: Chapman is just the fourth closer in MLB history with 10 or more seasons of 30 or more saves. Only Mariano Rivera (15 seasons), Trevor Hoffman (14) and Lee Smith (10) got there before him. That kind of sustained excellence is exactly what builds a career to 399.
A Clean Finish at Camden Yards
Save No. 399 arrived the way big milestones often do — quietly and efficiently. The Red Sox won 1-0 on a solo home run by Mickey Gasper in the first inning off Shane Baz — Gasper’s eighth homer in his last 16 games since being called up from Triple-A Worcester on August 16. Ranger Suárez handled the first seven innings, allowing just five singles. The eighth brought some drama: a disputed double play by Garrett Whitlock on Luis Robert Jr. cleared both benches and bullpens in Baltimore.
Chapman walked in to close the ninth and shut it all down. He retired Pete Alonso, struck out Gunnar Henderson, and got the final out. Eleven pitches, six strikes, zero runs. The shutout stayed intact — and so did the record book.
With the loss, Baltimore dropped its fourth straight game and fell further back in the American League wild-card race. Boston improved to 2-0 in this four-game series at Camden Yards.
At 38, the Radar Gun Still Respects Him
Chapman was born in Holguín on February 28, 1988, and made his MLB debut on August 31, 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds. He has pitched for nine franchises. That he’s still posting elite numbers at 38 isn’t sentiment — it’s Statcast.
His fastball averages 97.4 mph with 2,443 rpm of spin — 91st percentile in velocity and 88th percentile in spin rate across all of MLB. His xERA sits at 2.70 (95th percentile), meaning the quality of contact he allows ranks among the best in the league, not just among relievers. Batters are hitting just .195 against him, with an average exit velocity of 88.6 mph — the lower that number, the softer they’re hitting it.
The 2025 season already validated the late-career run: he won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award and earned a spot on the First-Team All-MLB squad. The 2026 season is heading in the same direction.
Chapman’s 2026 Numbers
- 49 games, 47.2 innings pitched
- ERA: 2.08 · WHIP: 1.13
- 63 strikeouts vs. 20 walks (32% strikeout rate)
- 32 saves in 34 opportunities
- xERA: 2.70 — 95th percentile
- Fastball: 97.4 mph · 2,443 rpm spin — 91st percentile velocity, 88th percentile spin
- Whiff rate: 29.4% (79th percentile)
- Strikeout rate (K%): 97th percentile
- xwOBA against: 95th percentile
- Batting average against: .195
- Average exit velocity allowed: 88.6 mph
- Barrel rate allowed: 7.1%
The numbers, not the opinions, are what validate a great. And right now, Chapman’s numbers are making a very strong case.
