Red Sox Closer Chapman Leaves Game with Injury Against Dodgers

BOSTON — Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman exited Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after facing just three batters in the eighth inning due to an apparent injury.

Chapman walked Miguel Rojas, the first batter he faced in the inning, on a pitch-clock violation and followed it by walking Mookie Betts. He managed to get Shohei Ohtani to fly out to left field before he began walking gingerly along the third base line. Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a trainer quickly assessed Chapman, leading to his removal from the game.

Jordan Hicks replaced Chapman on the mound. The severity of Chapman’s injury remains unclear, but he was brought in to protect a one-run lead against some of the Dodgers’ best hitters, which included Betts and Ohtani.

Notably, Chapman’s fastball velocity was down during the outing, averaging 94.6 mph compared to his season average of 98.5 mph. His fastest pitch of the day reached 95.8 mph.

Before Sunday’s game, Chapman had already made headlines in recent days. He pitched his longest outing of the season on Wednesday in Philadelphia and struck out Betts to secure a dramatic 4-2 win for the Red Sox on Saturday.

This season, Chapman has been a key player for Boston. In 44 appearances prior to Sunday’s game, he recorded a 1.31 ERA and struck out 61 batters over 41 ⅓ innings.

In a thrilling game, the Red Sox triumphed over the Dodgers, winning 4-3 and taking the three-game series 2-1. This victory improved Boston’s record to 57-50, while the Dodgers fell to 61-45.

Second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela showcased his skills with a crucial unassisted double play in the eighth inning, catching Teoscar Hernández’s line drive and tagging the runner at second base. Initially ruled safe, the Red Sox successfully challenged the call.

In the fifth inning, the Red Sox turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead, thanks to Anthony‘s RBI triple and a subsequent two-run homer from Alex Bregman.

Red Sox starter Walker Buehler faced his former team for the first time. He had a challenging outing, lasting 4 ⅔ innings while giving up three runs, four hits, and five walks.

The Red Sox will start a new three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. eastern.