Aroldis Chapman stands alone in 10th among baseball’s all-time save leaders
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Aroldis Chapman continues to cement his place as one of the most dominant relievers of all time.
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On Monday, he flew through a perfect ninth inning in a 3-1 victory over the Royals for the 378th save of his career, a number that positioned him in sole possession of 10th place on the all-time list. Of the nine pitchers ahead of him, five are Hall of Famers.
“I’m happy, I’m proud to be in that select group. I think that speaks about the consistency and the hard work I’ve put in throughout my career,” Chapman said through a translator. “[But] the saves are not something I was chasing throughout my career. It’s not something I’m very aware of who the leaders are. I’m going to keep going out there, performing and we’ll see in a couple of years what happens.”
The Sox are more excited about Chapman’s immediate contributions than his place on all-time leaderboards. He’s converted 26 save opportunities dating to last year, having allowed no runs and two hits (.026 opponent average) in such moments.
The combination of Chapman and Garrett Whitlock has been dominant. The Sox entered Tuesday with an 18-0 record when leading after seven innings, making them one of three undefeated teams when carrying a lead into the eighth inning. The improved that mark to 19-0 after Tuesday night’s 7-1 victory over the Royals.
In recent days, they’ve gained encouragement from the performance of righthander Justin Slaten, who came into a 3-1 game on Monday with a man on second and quashed the Royals rally by eliciting a groundout and two strikeouts.
“That’s my favorite type of situation,” said Slaten, who threw a scoreless seventh inning with a pair of strikeouts Tuesday night. “I really like being the guy that’s like called upon when guys are on base. I feel like it’s just automatic adrenaline, automatic having to be locked in. It just kind of helps me elevate my game a little.”
As much as the Sox have struggled to get leads this year, they feel their personnel can allow them to reliably turn advantages into wins.
“You get a lead and you’re in that part of the game, and you’re like, ‘Well, I think we’re gonna get a lot of swing and miss and some strikeouts here,’” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “When it’s [close and late], it’s still stressful. … It’s still high stress, but a lot less stress than probably other people feel [because] you have those guys.”
Family reunion
Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson had the experience of a lifetime on Tuesday, getting driven to the ballpark by his son, Drew Epperson, a major league video assistant for the Royals.
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“This goes up there personally for me with the Duck Boat ride,” said Chad Epperson. “This is one of the greatest things in my career.”
Chad Epperson has been in the game for more than 30 years. Drew started accompanying him to ballparks in 2004, when Epperson was a coach for the Sox’ Single-A Augusta affiliate.
But it was Drew who first became part of a major league staff when the Royals, following a multi-year internship program, hired him as a video assistant during the 2024-25 offseason. When he got the job, Drew — a UMass-Lowell graduate who worked his way up from clubhouse responsibilities with the Lowell Spinners — immediately called his father, who was coaching winter ball in the Dominican.
“I got a Facetime from him. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ He’s like, ‘Dad, I got the job.’ I had to hang up,” said Chad Epperson, words catching as he recalled the moment. “Proud. Very. It’s so cool.”
On April 25, Drew Epperson was on the receiving end of his own unexpected call in the minutes leading up to first pitch of a Royals game. He immediately became alarmed.
“I thought someone might have died,” said Drew Epperson. “I’m like, ‘Oh, no!’”
Instead, his father was informing him that the Sox, amidst a shakeup of their coaching staff, were summoning him to Baltimore. Drew Epperson was overcome with emotion.
“I was shaking for him,” said Drew.
Almost instantly, he realized that the two would — for the first time in their lives — be in the same big league ballpark while punching in for work. Anne Epperson joined the two in Kansas City to be with her husband and son.
“It really wasn’t on the Bingo card a couple weeks ago. It’s surreal,” said Drew Epperson. “Growing up, I went to the field with him all time. Never in a million years did I imagine this.”
The two exchanged lineup cards and hugs at home plate prior to the game.
Injury updates
Lefthander Danny Coulombe allowed one run and recorded two outs (one by strikeout) on 18 pitches for Triple-A Worcester. His status will be re-evaluated following the offday. . . . Shortstop Trevor Story is still gathering medical advice on his sports hernia, according to Tracy, and has yet to make a decision about whether to have surgery . . . Ace Garrett Crochet will throw an “up-and-down” bullpen session on Wednesday.
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