The first hit Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman allowed since July 23 walked off the Athletics on Wednesday.
The streak came to an abrupt end in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he surrendered a leadoff double to catcher Shea Langeliers. Although Chapman then induced a line out to right, it advanced Langeliers to third. During the next at-bat, a 100-mph four-seamer arrived near the heart of the zone and Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler slapped an opposite-field single to left-center that handed the Red Sox another walk-off loss, their MLB-leading 12th such defeat this season, according to ESPN.
Advertisement
[Get more Red Sox news: Boston team feed]
The 5-4 Athletics win snapped a three-game Red Sox surge and prevented Boston from completing a series sweep in Sacramento. It also marked the end of Chapman’s historic stretch.
The 37-year-old lefty came into the day with the third-longest hitless streak of any MLB pitcher since 1901. It spanned a franchise-record 17 straight appearances.
From July 26 to Sept. 7, Chapman — an All-Star this season for the first time since 2021 — recorded 14 2/3 innings pitched, logging 21 strikeouts and issuing only four walks. Along the way, he didn’t give up an earned run.
Advertisement
While he conceded a hit during his July 23 appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies, he finished that outing with a strikeout, meaning that he had faced 50 consecutive batters without allowing a hit going into Wednesday’s series finale versus the Athletics.
The loss dropped the Red Sox to 81-66 on the year. They’re currently jockeying with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East crown as well as the top AL wild-card spot.
Read the full article here