Aroldis Chapman has once again found his way into the MLB record books. On Wednesday night, the 37-year-old Boston Red Sox reliever unleashed a 103.8 MPH fastball against the Texas Rangers—the fastest recorded pitch of the 2025 MLB season.
The veteran left-hander didn’t just flash a single lightning bolt. He threw five pitches that registered over 101 MPH, a staggering display of late-career velocity that few pitchers in baseball history have sustained at this stage of their career.
It’s a remarkable moment for Chapman, whose dominance with the fastball dates back to his 2010 rookie campaign with the Cincinnati Reds, when he set the still-standing record for the fastest pitch ever thrown—105.1 MPH. Now, 15 years later, he’s throwing harder than anyone else in the game again.
After parting ways with the New York Yankees in 2022—following a turbulent final season marked by inconsistency and a postseason absence—Chapman was widely viewed as a declining asset. But short stints with Kansas City, Texas (where he helped secure a World Series title), and Pittsburgh helped him refine his approach. Now, in Boston under a one-year, $10.75 million deal, Chapman is turning back the clock.
His latest milestone further cements a legacy steeped in velocity, intimidation, and elite closing performances. During his tenure with the Yankees from 2017 to 2022, Chapman racked up 153 saves and a 2.94 ERA over nearly 300 innings. Once the most feared closer in the game, he’s now showing flashes of that dominance once again—this time, in a Red Sox uniform.
Boston’s upcoming series against the Yankees will add extra fuel to the fire, especially if Chapman gets the ball with the game on the line. His career may have seemed to be winding down just two years ago, but now, in 2025, Aroldis Chapman is throwing harder than anyone else in baseball—again.