Aroldis Chapman gives up first hit since July 23, Red Sox fall short of sweep against Athletics

The first hit Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman allowed since July 23 walked off the Athletics Wednesday.

A flamethrowing Chapman reached triple digits with his fastball, just like the eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ has been doing since he made his MLB debut in 2010. But his 100 mph four-seamer arrived near the heart of the zone.

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Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler slapped an opposite-field single to left-center that handed the Red Sox another walk-off loss, their MLB-leading 12th such defeat this season, according to ESPN.

The 5-4 Athletics win snapped a three-game Red Sox surge and prevented Boston from completing a series sweep in Sacramento. It also marked the end of Chapman's historic stretch.

The 37-year-old lefty came into the day with the third-longest hitless streak of any MLB pitcher since 1901. It spanned a franchise-record 17 straight appearances.

From July 26 to Sept. 7, Chapman — an All-Star this season for the first time since 2021 — recorded 14 2/3 innings pitched, logging 21 strikeouts and issuing only four walks. Along the way, he didn't give up an earned run.

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While he conceded a hit during his July 23 appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies, he finished that outing with a strikeout, meaning that he actually had faced 50 consecutive batters without allowing a hit going into Wednesday's series finale versus the Athletics.

The streak came to an abrupt end in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he surrendered a leadoff double to catcher Shea Langeliers. Although Chapman then induced a line out to right, it advanced Langeliers to third, where he scored from on Butler's walk-off single to left.

The loss dropped the Red Sox to 81-66 on the year. They're currently jockeying with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East crown as well as the top AL wild-card spot.