Aroldis Chapman, the Red Sox closer, just hit a massive career milestone on Sunday, notching his 400th save in what’s been an incredible late-career surge. The dude is 38 years old, and honestly, it looked like his days as a premier closer were done for good when he was rocking as a setup man from 2022-24. But then came 2025, a full-on revival with Boston, and he has stayed locked in as their closer all through 2026. The Red Sox have been on fire for the last two months, giving Chapman plenty of chances to close games, and that path led straight to 400. This milestone puts him in some seriously rare air for pitchers.
Climbing the All-Time Saves Mountain
Reaching 400 saves is no joke, man. Chapman just became the ninth pitcher in MLB history to do it, joining a super exclusive club that already features four Hall of Famers. Think about that for a second. We’re talking about legends. Mariano Rivera sits way up top with 652 saves, followed by Trevor Hoffman with 601. Those two are in a league of their own, with no one else even touching 500. But Kenley Jansen is knocking on that door, just seven saves shy of 500 himself.
Chapman’s 400 puts him at ninth all-time, right behind Billy Wagner who has 422, John Franco with 424, and Francisco Rodriguez at 437. Craig Kimbrel is at 441, and Lee Smith is at 478. Our guy Chapman needs 22 more saves to catch Wagner, but if he keeps this up, he could realistically hit fifth all-time with just 42 more. If he plays a full 2027 season the way he’s pitching now, that number is totally on the table. It’s wild to think where he could end up.
The Active Closer Club and Cooperstown Conversations
Chapman is now one of only three active pitchers to hit 400 saves, joining Kenley Jansen (493) and Craig Kimbrel (441). These three are absolute beasts, no question. Kimbrel’s pace has definitely slowed down lately, and he’s become more of a journeyman, recently grabbing a save with the Royals. Jansen, on the other hand, has 17 saves with the Tigers this season, but he’s been a little unsteady as he approaches his 39th birthday.
All three of these guys are going to get some serious Hall of Fame consideration when their careers are all said and done. Kimbrel probably had the highest peak, that absolute dominant stretch was something else. But Chapman and Jansen both have these incredibly long, impactful careers to back up their cases. And get this: all three have a World Series win. Chapman even has two, one with Chicago and another with Texas. His journey from setup man back to dominant closer is just awesome to watch.
What’s next for Chapman? Can he climb even higher? You know he is going to keep pushing for every save, chasing that fifth all-time spot. It’s going to be a blast watching him pitch in 2027 and see how far he can take this incredible comeback story.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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