BOSTON — This season, Aroldis Chapman’s saves have become nearly automatic. In 16 save opportunities with the Red Sox this season, he’s converted all but one.

But when he closed out the Cincinnati Reds on just a dozen pitches to seal a 5-3 Red Sox win Wednesday afternoon, there was some extra significance attached to it.

The save was the 350th of his career, good for 14th all-time.

“It means a lot, means a lot,” said Chapman. “It’s (a reminder of) all the hard work you put in and also means your team wins. The 350 saves means that your team has won that many times.”

Chapman is enjoying his best season in some time. His ERA sits at 1.29 and he’s now turned in 14 straight appearances without allowing a run. Also, he’s lowered his walk rate to the best it’s been since 2016.

He was asked when was the last time he enjoyed such a strong season.

“I don’t know what season specifically,” he said, “but I worked very hard in the offseason to reach to get to this point, to be able to not walk as many guys as I did in the past. I knew that was one of the problems that I had. So to be able to accomplish that is great.”

His reliability and consistency has meant a lot to the Red Sox, beginning with manager Alex Cora.

“I’ve had the luxury of having three of the great ones – Craig (Kimbrel), Kenley (Jansen) and now Chappy,” he said. “Having those guys, it’s an eight-inning game. The guy, he keeps getting better.”

“It’s insane,” said rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez of the experience of catching Chapman. “To be honest, it’s such a blessing to be behind the dish when he’s pitching. Early in the year, I remember thinking, ‘Man, I’m calling pitches for Chappy.’ If I look back one year ago, I never would have expected something like this. I’m super happy for him. He’s a great athlete, very professional. You guys know how he goes about his business.

“I think there’s more in the tank. He’s at his peak at 37 years old, so that’s impressive. I’m so glad he’s with us, closing games for us.”

As Chapman continues to climb the list of all-time saves, it would seem he could soon vault into the Top 10.

“My goal is to reach 400,“ said Chapman. ”I know that’s not an easy task to accomplish, but I’m going to keep working hard to accomplish that goal.”

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.