Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t go by the outdated book in the late innings of Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Garrett Crochet delivered six more dominant innings before Garrett Whitlock worked a perfect seventh in just nine pitches. Cora then called Aroldis Chapman’s number a bit earlier than usual.
Some fans might have been surprised to see Chapman protecting a two-run lead in the eighth. Former Red Sox stoppers Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen are the only active pitchers with more career saves than the flame-throwing southpaw, who’s converted 13 of 14 saves in a resurgent 2025.
However, the tweak actually reflected just how well Chapman is performing.
The top of Seattle’s order beckoned, and one man has generated most of the team’s offense all year. Chapman retired Dylan Moore and two-time Silver Slugger outfielder Julio Rodriguez before getting the scorching-hot Cal Raleigh to end the frame with a ground out.
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Deploying Chapman had nothing to do with handedness splits. Rodriguez has fared better against lefties (.804 OPS vs. LHP, .693 vs. RHP) in 2025, and Raleigh is destroying everyone in his path. The Red Sox experienced that first-hand when the All-Star-bound catcher registered a grand slam, a stolen base, and six RBI in Tuesday’s Mariners triumph.
It doesn’t take an Ivy League background in sabermetrics to determine that you want your best pitcher facing the opposition’s best hitters with the game on the line.
Luckily, Cora didn’t feel compelled to preserve his closer for a save situation. Also easing his choice, the skipper had another trustworthy option to record the final three outs against a Mariners lineup ranking 16th in team slugging percentage (.394) despite Raleigh’s .622 clip.
Greg Weissert dispatched Jorge Polanco and worked around a Randy Arozarena walk by inducing a game-ending double play. The 30-year-old recorded his third save of the season, all in June, but Chapman didn’t pitch on the prior two days.
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Chapman continues to excel regardless of the situation, allowing one hit and one walk in eight shutout innings this month. While Chapman should primarily close moving forward, it’s good to see Cora show some flexibility when the situation calls for another plan.
