After setting strikeout record for lefty relievers, Cooperstown calls on Pirates' Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman knew what he was chasing when he took the mound Saturday in Atlanta, aware that he was two strikeouts from breaking the major league record for most strikeouts by a left-handed relief pitcher.

“All the hard work that I’ve put in for many years, I knew finally a day like that would come, and I was really happy that it happened,” Chapman said through translator Stephen Morales, a Pirates coach. “It’s just an emotional day for sure, because you work for something like that at some point in your career — to be the best — and it happened.”

What Chapman never envisioned was what followed after he fanned Braves batters Travis d’Arnaud and Sean Murphy to end the ninth inning at Truist Park and surpass Billy Wagner’s 1,196 strikeouts.

Then Chapman got a call from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, requesting mementos from the 36-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates reliever’s historic outing for display in the Cooperstown, N.Y., museum. Chapman didn’t hesitate to accept.

“It feels great just to have my glove and spikes in the Hall of Fame for the rest of my life,” Chapman said. “It’s an honor.”

There could be more honors in Chapman’s future, as the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts by a reliever, trailing three Hall of Famers and active leader Craig Kimbrel. Hoyt Wilhelm has the most, with 1,363, followed by Rich Gossage (1,340), Kimbrel (1,238) and Lee Smith (1,225).

With the way Chapman has been pitching for the Pirates, it’s hard not to imagine him having another banner season. Coming off his first 100-strikeout season since 2015, Chapman already has 49 strikeouts in 30 innings over 36 appearances for the Pirates.

Chapman put an exclamation point on breaking Wagner’s mark. The sinker that got Murphy swinging for the strikeout was clocked at 102.9 mph by Statcast, one of seven pitches to top triple digits in the frame. That Chapman’s stuff was electric despite a balky knee made it even more impressive to Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

“Any time you can see history, it’s such a special thing,” Shelton said. “We’re talking most strikeouts ever by a left-hander. Very cool to be a part of. … Overall, one of the cool things I’ve been part of in the game, because it’s history.”

That Chapman touches 100 mph with such regularity — on 90 of his 644 pitches (14%), to be precise — and hit 104 mph on the radar gun in his 15th season is amazing to his Pirates coaches and teammates. That’s especially true with two-time All-Star closer David Bednar on the 15-day injured list.

Chapman went multiple innings for the first time as a Pirate in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, after retiring the side in order on seven pitches in the ninth inning. That convinced Shelton to send Chapman back out for the 10th, when Alec Burleson drove in the automatic runner for the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center. Chapman topped 102 mph on four consecutive pitches, including 103.6 and 103.5 back to back, in walking Willson Contreras before striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan to strand two runners.

“You get in the runner at second situation, and you’re looking for punch-outs and he can punch people out,” Shelton said. “He did a good job. He executed.”

Shelton stressed how Chapman’s preparation and work ethic, especially in the weight room, have helped his longevity and the value of having won world championships with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and the Texas Rangers last fall.

“This is a guy who’s won World Series,” Shelton said. “That’s important because of the fact he’s been standing on the field the last game of the season.”

There was a noticeable difference in Chapman over the past two months, when he lowered his ERA by nearly a point. Where Chapman threw strikes on 53.5% of his pitches in May, he increased it to 64.1% in June and cut his walks in half (from 11 to five).

“He’s been there and done that, pretty much everything. Just watching him go through it, you’re going to learn some things, with him being so dynamic,” Pirates setup man Colin Holderman said. “When he goes into the game in the seventh, I’m like, ‘The eighth is going to be the same score.’ I don’t have to worry about it too much.”

Chapman believes his velocity still ranking the best in baseball at an age many of his contemporaries are retired is not just a sign of his commitment to conditioning but also evidence of his evolution.

“I can’t say I feel or that I am the same as when I was a rookie, because at that point, all I did was throw fastballs by people,” Chapman said. “I think, now, I’m a better pitcher. I’m a more complete pitcher because I can throw other pitches in the strike zone and pitch better. It has been a joyful career.”

A career in which Chapman has recorded 324 saves, which ranks behind only Kimbrel (438) and Kenley Jansen (436) among active relievers. No wonder it’s a career Chapman isn’t eager to end. He expressed his intention to continue pitching as long as he can remain healthy and competitive. Whether that’s with the Pirates or another team remains to be seen — the Pirates are his sixth team overall and fourth in the past three seasons — but Shelton believes that Chapman will join his glove and spikes and ultimately find a permanent home in Cooperstown.

“I do. I think he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame,” Shelton said. “I think that to be that historical with the things he’s done and as much as he’s won, yeah, I think he’ll be a Hall of Famer.”

That could have Chapman chasing Wagner again.

Last year, in his ninth year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Wagner fell five votes shy of induction. Wagner, who has 422 career saves, has one more year on the ballot to convince voters to elect him to immortalization. So Chapman is cautious about his chances for Cooperstown.

“We’ll see. It’s out of my control,” Chapman said. “All I can control is just go out there, put up good numbers and do my job and be as good as I can be. But when I retire, after that, hopefully, that happens. We’ll think about it when that time comes.”