{"id":42567,"date":"2025-04-20T07:46:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T07:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567"},"modified":"2025-04-20T07:46:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T07:46:32","slug":"boston-red-sox-closer-aroldis-chapman-breaks-franchise-record-with-blazing-fastball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567","title":{"rendered":"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Aroldis Chapman delivered a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball to Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth on Saturday, breaking a Boston Red Sox record in the process.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Boston,<\/picture><\/figure>\n
Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. \/ Eric Canha-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Aroldis Chapman wasn’t throwing his signature heat when he first took the mound for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old left-hander’s first fastball clocked in at 98.3 miles per hour, while his next two came in a few ticks below 100. Chapman finally broke triple digits against his third batter of the contest, notching the second out of the ninth inning.<\/p>\n

When Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth stepped up to the plate with the go-ahead run at second, Chapman locked in.<\/p>\n

Chapman fired a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball into the zone, leaving Meidroth to watch it go by for a strike.<\/p>\n

As relayed by\u00a0the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo\u00a0and others, that four-seamer was the hardest pitch thrown by a Red Sox player in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. The previous record belonged to Joe Kelly, who threw a 102.2 mile-per-hour fastball against the Chicago Cubs on April 28, 2017.<\/p>\n

Chapman got Meidroth to fly out to end the frame, setting the stage for the game to go to extras. The Red Sox went on to win 4-3, collecting their fourth victory in a row.<\/p>\n

Through his first 10 appearances in a Red Sox uniform, Chapman is 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA, 1.200 WHIP and 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He has converted on all four of his save opportunities so far in 2025.<\/p>\n

Boston has a chance to clinch the series win over Chicago on Sunday, with first pitch from Fenway Park scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET. Considering Chapman was pitching on three days’ rest Saturday, the seven-time All-Star could very well be available again Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aroldis Chapman delivered a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball to Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth on Saturday, breaking a Boston Red Sox record in the process. Boston, Massachusetts,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nBoston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aroldis Chapman delivered a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball to Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth on Saturday, breaking a Boston Red Sox record in the process. Boston, Massachusetts,...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"405\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567\",\"name\":\"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":405},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"Aroldis Chapman delivered a 102.3 mile-per-hour fastball to Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth on Saturday, breaking a Boston Red Sox record in the process. Boston, Massachusetts,...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":405,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567","name":"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-20T07:46:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/01js8adfyhjvn4888pbz.jpg","width":720,"height":405},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=42567#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Boston Red Sox Closer Aroldis Chapman Breaks Franchise Record With Blazing Fastball"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42571,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42567\/revisions\/42571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}