Aroldis Chapman just etched his name into baseball history by surpassing Hoyt Wilhelm's record for most strikeouts by a relief pitcher. Chapman recorded his 1,364th career strikeout as a reliever, needing fewer than 850 innings while Wilhelm required 1,872⅓ innings to reach 1,363. The contrast is striking: Wilhelm's knuckleballs versus Chapman's 105.8 mph heater that still stands as baseball's fastest pitch.

ESPN's David Schoenfield ranked the top 12 relievers on the all-time saves leaderboard across 10 statistical categories including saves, WAR, ERA+, and postseason performance. Using a points system where first place earns one point and last place gets 12, the analysis provides a comprehensive look at closer greatness spanning four decades.

Chapman's resurgence with the Boston Red Sox over the past two seasons adds intrigue to his career trajectory. The rankings reveal interesting patterns - Dennis Eckersley checks in at No. 12 with 96 points despite his 1992 AL Cy Young-MVP season, while Billy Wagner ranks fourth with 60 points. The methodology intentionally focuses on the modern closer era, leaving out Hall of Famers like Wilhelm and Goose Gossage whose careers predated specialized bullpen roles.

This ranking exercise validates Chapman's place among elite relievers while highlighting how different eras produced different kinds of greatness. His combination of strikeout prowess and longevity makes him uniquely qualified for the conversation about baseball's greatest closers.