Pittsburgh Pirates Flamethrower Joins Great List in Strikeout History

The Pittsburgh Pirates came back from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night at PNC Park. With the win, the Buccos are now 61-67 on the year. The Reds fell to 62-67 with the loss. The final score was 6-5.

While the focus will be on the comeback of the Pirates offense, it should also be noted that left-hander Aroldis Chapman made history in the team’s bullpen.

According to the Pirates on social media:

Strikeout #1,226.

Aroldis Chapman now has the fourth highest strikeout rate among relief pitchers in MLB history

Chapman has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball since he made his debut over a decade ago. He has one of the best fastballs in baseball history and can still easily run over 100 MPH with it.

No longer a closer, he’s 4-4 with the Pirates this season. He has a 3.14 ERA and has struck out 79 batters in 48.2 innings. He’s 36 years old.

Chapman is in his 15th year in the major leagues since arriving from Cuba. He has played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Pirates. He won World Series rings with the Cubs (2016) and Rangers (2023).

Lifetime he has a 2.57 ERA. In his career he even has 1.227 K’s. Those have been achieved in only 747.0 innings.

The Pirates and Reds meet again Saturday night, with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Pirates will send right-hander Jake Woodford to the mound. He is 0-5 with a 6.67 ERA.

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