ANAHEIM -- It's official: No relief pitcher in Major League Baseball history has more strikeouts than Aroldis Chapman.
The veteran Boston Red Sox closer fanned the Angels' Denzer Guzman leading off the ninth inning Friday night at Angel Stadium for career strikeout No. 1,364, breaking Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm’s all-time record for a relief pitcher. After securing the milestone, the 38-year-old left-hander induced a game-ending double play to lock down a 5-2 Boston victory and secure his 17th save of the season.
Inside the visitors’ clubhouse, the Red Sox briefly paused their postgame routine to gather around the TV. Chapman’s teammates had put together a custom highlight reel celebrating his 16-year journey from his big league debut to becoming a record-holder.
"I feel very happy, very proud of what I've been able to accomplish," Chapman said through an interpreter. "I was just focused on doing the job day in and day out. ... I try to stay positive throughout, keep a positive mindset and know that when God wants it to happen, it's going to happen. God wanted it to happen today."
"We've been waiting for that one," Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said of the record. "The cool thing is watching the video, you're seeing him at a young age throwing 102 and he's still doing it. It's just incredible. A cool night, a special, special night for him."
Boston’s fireballing lefty, who has thrown every pitch in his career as a reliever, tied Wilhelm with career strikeout No. 1,363 on Sunday at Fenway Park against the Yankees.
The 38-year-old continues to hit milestones while maintaining his dominance in the latter stages of his career. On May 18, Chapman pinned down his 378th save, passing Joe Nathan for 10th place on the all-time list. Friday's save was his 384th.
Next in Chapman’s sights? Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who had 390 saves.
Of the other nine pitchers who make up MLB’s Top 10 saves list, five are in the Hall of Fame in Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Billy Wagner and Eckersley.
However, the strikeout record is the one that most befits Chapman. In what has become the velocity revolution in MLB, Chapman was the first one to regularly register triple-velocity radar gun readings.
On Sept. 24 of his rookie 2010 season, Chapman fired a 105.8 mph fastball that is the fastest since pitch tracking began in 2008.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I remember watching him throw 105 in Cincinnati,” said Padres reliever Mason Miller, perhaps the most impressive of today’s high-velo closers. “It was like this guy was otherworldly. You talk about his longevity and it’s really kind of hard to wrap your head around.”
Chapman’s milestone moment was set up perfectly by a performance from rookie starter Jake Bennett, who gave the Boston pitching staff exactly the depth it needed. With fellow southpaw Connelly Early landing on the injured list earlier in the week due to left elbow inflammation, Bennett carried the load, shutting down the Angels' bats early by retiring the first 13 batters he faced.
Backed by an efficient offense that manufactured runs in three consecutive early frames -- highlighted by a Romy Gonzalez leadoff triple in the second and a Caleb Durbin solo home run in the fifth -- Bennett carried a shutout deep into the eighth, finishing with 7 2/3 dominant innings and allowing just two hits, two runs and no walks while striking out six.
"He was awesome," Tracy said. "He was in the zone early and often. ... Couldn't have asked for more."
Bennett's deep outing provided the exact runway the Red Sox needed to hand the ball over to the bullpen before turning to their veteran closer in the ninth.
For the rookie, watching the history unfold from the dugout after throwing a career-high 88 pitches was an unforgettable experience.
"It's incredible to even just be a part of the team," Bennett said. "These guys, they're great role models. Just watching the way they go about their business, I try to pick their brains and learn as much as I can."
As for the historic ball itself, Chapman confirmed it was safely retrieved and will join an exclusive personal collection.
"I have balls from important saves that I've had in my career stowed away in a special place to be able to look back on one day," Chapman said. "So, yeah, it's super important for me."