The Red Sox signed Chapman this past offseason for one-year, $10.75 million, and the Sox definitely didn’t expect this level of performance. Last season Chapman was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he had a 3.79 ERA, a WHIP of 1.346, and a BB/9 of 5.7. He was just supposed to be a replacement for the Sox’s previous All-Star closer, Kenley Jansen.

Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman is no stranger to dominating in the ninth inning.

One of the first stories I wrote for the Globe was about the Red Sox giving a tryout to a mysterious lefthanded fireballer from Cuba named Aroldis Chapman in 2009. Chapman was 21 at the time and had established residence in Andorra after defecting from Cuba during a tournament in the Netherlands.