The Boston Red Sox position battle for closer has been decided, at least according to one of the guys competing for the job.
36-year-old three-time All-Star Liam Hendriks has been outspoken in the press about his desire to win Boston’s closer role, and on Thursday, he admitted that he’s failed to do just that, at least for the time being.
Per MassLive’s Christopher Smith, Hendriks declared that 37-year-old flamethrower Aroldis Chapman is the guy who deserves the job right now.
"I think it’s been pretty well proven this spring training who deserves that spot after earning it all spring and that’s definitely not me,” Hendriks admitted, per Smith. “I’ve always said I wanted to win it, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t.”
"I’m going to go out there and give my best three outs, six outs or whatever they need me to do. Things will shake out however they shake out, but if you want to talk about the guy who’s looked the best in spring training, that’s Chapman. It’s been unbelievable.”
"He’s been 97 to 100 pretty much every outing and he’s looked crisp and has looked little fantastic out there."
You have to love Hendriks’s honesty and support of his teammate Chapman here.
Chapman has certainly been on point for the Red Sox this spring. The former New York Yankees lefty and record-owner of the fastest pitch in Major League Baseball history (105.8 miles per hour) still throws gas, and all signs point to Chapman being Boston’s closer on Opening Day.
Chapman’s had an illustrious career that’s seen him make seven All-Star teams and win two World Series rings along with American League Reliever of the Year in 2019.
The native of Cuba would have an even more legendary resume if he was able to win a third ring in 2025 as a member of the Red Sox.
