For seven seasons, Jonathan Papelbon held down the back of the Boston Red Sox bullpen and locked down plenty of signature moments in Red Sox history.
And while Aroldis Chapman’s time in Boston won’t have the same kind of length as Papelbon’s, he’s in the midst of one of the best relief seasons in Red Sox history, which led to the front office inking him to a $13 million contract for next season with a mutual/vesting option for 2027.
In fact, it’s such a good season that it may break Papelbon’s record for the best season as a reliever in Red Sox history. But, according to Papelbon, it’s a record that he’s hoping gets broken.
Jonathan Papelbon says exactly what Red Sox fans want to hear about Aroldis Chapman
If Chapman finishes the season with five more scoreless innings, he’ll have the lowest season ERA of any relief pitcher in Red Sox history. The current record is the 0.92 ERA that Papelbon recorded in 2006.
Records are meant to be broke. I hope he breaks it and if @RedSox make playoffs I hope has a better postseason! https://t.co/6ayd6vIrcU
— Jonathan Papelbon (@TheRealJPap58) September 1, 2025
Even if Chapman ends up breaking Papelbon’s record, it won’t take away from how dominant Papelbon’s 2006 was. It was his first year as a full-time reliever and he latched onto the closer’s role and never looked back.
Meanwhile, Chapman’s in the midst of his 16th career season and seemed to be approaching the end of his career after a middling 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now he’s in the midst of retiring 46 straight batters. Not too shabby.
While there’s only so much he can do as a single-inning reliever, Chapman has taken away the drama from the ninth inning and helped the team focus on adding to other positions at the trade deadline and through free agency.
Even if Chapman’s performance this season is unsustainable next year or in the postseason (he’s given up two of the biggest home runs in recent postseason history), he’s turned a bargain bin signing into a clear win, which is something that hasn’t often happened under the team’s current regime.
Papelbon is one of the more outspoken former Red Sox players, so there’s no doubt he wouldn’t mince his words if he didn’t like Chapman, especially since his role is something close to home for the former reliever.
But his recent co-sign of Chapman’s record shows exactly how good the vibes are around the Red Sox right now. Imagine telling someone that in June.