Aroldis Chapman Bio
Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz, born February 28, 1988, in Holguín, Cuba, is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Chapman bats and throws left-handed and is nicknamed “the Cuban Missile” because of his high fastball velocity. A member of the 300 save club, he is the all-time leader in strikeouts for left-handed relievers.
Across his MLB career, Chapman has also played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Before reaching MLB, he pitched in the Cuban National Series for Holguín and represented Cuba in international competition. In 2025 he was named to his eighth All-Star Game and won his second American League Reliever of the Year Award.
Early Life and Background
Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz was born on February 28, 1988, in Holguín, Cuba, and grew up in a three-room house with his parents and two sisters. His father worked as a boxing trainer and later for the city, while his mother stayed home. Chapman’s paternal grandparents had moved from Jamaica to Cuba in search of better education, and the Chapman surname traces back to English settlers who arrived in Jamaica in the late 1600s. The family was not considered prominent in their community.
Chapman first picked up baseball at age 15, when a friend invited him to join a local team. He initially played first base before his coach noticed his strong throwing arm and moved him to the mound in 2003. That switch set him on the path toward becoming one of the hardest throwers the game has ever seen.
Path to Baseball
Chapman joined the Holguín Sabuesos of the Cuban National Series for the 2005–06 season and pitched through 2008–09. Across 327⅔ innings with the Sabuesos he posted a 24–19 record with a 3.74 ERA and 365 strikeouts, working mostly as a starter. During the 2007 season he made 11 relief appearances and recorded seven saves, showing an early aptitude for finishing games.
On the international stage, Chapman represented Cuba at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2007 Baseball World Cup in Taipei. He also played in the 2009 World Baseball Classic before defecting from Cuba in July 2009 while the national team was in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Chapman later established residency in Andorra and was granted MLB free agent status, setting up his move to the United States.
Aroldis Chapman Career
Early Career (2010–2015)
On January 10, 2010, Chapman signed a six-year, $30.25 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He opened the year with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, then made his MLB debut on August 31, 2010, against the Milwaukee Brewers, firing a 98 mph called strike for his first pitch and retiring the side on nine pitches. Chapman threw the fastest pitch recognized by MLB on September 24, 2010, at 105.1 mph to Tony Gwynn Jr. at Petco Park.
After one year as a starter in the minors, Chapman became Cincinnati’s full-time reliever in 2011 and moved into the closer role in late May 2012. He was named to his first All-Star Game that summer, won back-to-back Delivery Man of the Month Awards, and finished 2012 with a 1.51 ERA and 38 saves. Across 2013, 2014, and 2015, he added three more All-Star selections and recorded his 100th career save in July 2014, becoming the eighth-fastest pitcher to reach that milestone.
Cincinnati Reds Breakthrough (2010–2015)
Chapman developed into one of the National League’s most dominant closers during his Reds tenure. He converted 38 saves in 2013 and added 36 more in 2014 despite missing the start of the season after being struck in the head by a line drive during spring training. In 2015 he posted a 1.63 ERA with 33 saves and led MLB in average fastball velocity at 100.0 mph, with a season-best 103.9 mph pitch.
His Cincinnati run ended on December 28, 2015, when the Reds traded him to the New York Yankees for four minor leaguers. By the time he left, Chapman was a four-time All-Star, a 100-mph regular, and the Reds’ all-time leader in single-season saves.
First New York Yankees Stint (2016)
Manager Joe Girardi named Chapman the Yankees’ closer in January 2016, but he opened the year serving a 30-game MLB suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy. He debuted on May 9, 2016, against the Royals and quickly returned to form, hitting 105 mph twice against the Orioles in July. Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller formed a late-inning trio that fans dubbed “No Runs–D.M.C.” for their dominance.
On July 25, 2016, the Yankees traded Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Adam Warren, and Rashad Crawford. He made three saves in four opportunities during the NLDS against the Giants and then pitched across three appearances in the NLCS against the Dodgers, sealing the Cubs’ first pennant since 1945.
Chicago Cubs Run (2016)
Chapman was at the center of the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. He worked through the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings of Game 5 to keep Chicago alive, then returned in Games 6 and 7. In Game 7 he blew a save in the eighth before pitching through the ninth, earning the win when the Cubs scored in the 10th inning and capturing his first World Series championship.
Second New York Yankees Stint (2017–2022)
On December 15, 2016, Chapman signed a five-year, $86 million contract to return to the Yankees, then the largest deal ever given to a relief pitcher. He battled shoulder inflammation in 2017 and knee tendinitis in 2018, but still reached the All-Star Game in 2018 and won the AL Reliever of the Year Award in 2019 after posting a 2.21 ERA and 37 saves. On August 26, 2021, he recorded his 300th career save against the Oakland Athletics.
Chapman’s Yankees era closed with injuries, a lost closer job to Clay Holmes in 2022, and a tattoo-related infection that sidelined him in August 2022. He was left off the Yankees’ postseason roster that October after missing a mandatory workout.
Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers Era (2023)
Chapman signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals on January 27, 2023, and went 4–2 with a 2.45 ERA in 31 appearances before being traded to the Texas Rangers on June 30, 2023, in exchange for Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera. With Texas he added 4 saves and a 3.72 ERA in 30 regular-season outings and pitched six innings of 2.75 ERA ball across the postseason to win his second World Series ring.
Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox Era (2024–2025)
On January 31, 2024, Chapman signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On June 29, 2024, he passed Billy Wagner for the most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever. He then signed a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Boston Red Sox on December 10, 2024, and won the closer job out of spring training. Chapman set a new Red Sox record for fastest pitch at 103.4 mph, recorded his 350th career save on July 2, 2025, and was named to his eighth All-Star Game. He finished 2025 with a 5–3 record, 32 saves, and a career-best 1.17 ERA, helping Boston reach the playoffs.
Driving Style and Strengths
Chapman works from a three-quarters delivery and throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball averaging 99–100 mph, a slider in the upper 80s, a splitter, and a change-up, with a sinker added in 2018 that can reach 102 mph. His fastball-slider combination produces elite whiff rates, and he induces swinging strikes on 16.4 percent of his pitches. Despite concerns early in his career about control and durability, Chapman has settled into a high-leverage closer role built around brief but overpowering appearances.
Notable Events and Milestones
Chapman holds the MLB record for fastest recorded pitch at 105.8 mph, set against Tony Gwynn Jr. on September 24, 2010, and recognized by Guinness World Records. He has broken franchise speed records with six different teams and on July 11, 2014, set the mark for most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout at 49 games. He has also closed out a World Series Game 7 with the Cubs and recorded his 350th career save in 2025.
Aroldis Chapman Career Wins
Chapman’s win totals are concentrated in relief work rather than starting, but his saves total tells the story of his career. Through the 2025 season he had surpassed 380 saves in the majors, placing him among the most productive closers in MLB history. He also owns the all-time strikeout record for left-handed relievers, passing Billy Wagner in 2024.
MLB Highlights
Chapman broke into the Reds’ closer role in 2012 and won 38 saves that season, then matched the mark in 2013. He added 36 saves in 2014, 33 in 2015, and reached 37 saves again with the Yankees in 2019. His 32 saves in 2025 were his highest total since that 2019 season.
Other Wins & Performances
In Cuba, Chapman compiled a 24–19 record and 365 strikeouts across parts of four National Series seasons with Holguín, and he helped Cuba win medals at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2007 Baseball World Cup. He later contributed to World Series titles with the Cubs in 2016 and the Rangers in 2023, the latter earning him a second championship ring.
Aroldis Chapman Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Chapman’s paternal grandparents emigrated from Jamaica to Cuba in search of better education, and the Chapman surname can be traced to English settlers who arrived in Jamaica in the late 1600s. His father worked as a boxing trainer and later for the city, while his mother did not work outside the home.
Personal Life
When Chapman defected from Cuba in 2009, he left behind his parents, two sisters, a girlfriend, and a newborn child. He later helped his family relocate to the United States, and his son was born in Cincinnati in 2014. Chapman became a United States citizen in April 2016, and he is Catholic.
2025 Season Performance
Chapman’s 2025 campaign with the Red Sox was among the best of his career. He opened the year by earning the win on Opening Day and quickly took over as the full-time closer, recording his 350th career save on July 2 and earning an eighth All-Star selection four days later. Between July 27 and September 10 he strung together 17 consecutive hitless appearances, the third-longest streak in MLB since 1901.
He finished the regular season at 5–3 with 32 saves and a career-best 1.17 ERA, surrendering only eight earned runs across 67 appearances. His performance helped Boston reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021, where the Red Sox faced the Yankees in the Wild Card Series.
Chapman and the Red Sox agreed to a contract extension in August 2025 covering the 2026 season at $13.3 million with a vesting option for 2027. He was later named AL Reliever of the Year for the second time in November 2025, capping one of the most productive seasons of his late-career resurgence.
