Reds' Chapman sets MLB record with strikeout in 40th straight relief appearance

While it's unclear if Aroldis Chapman-as-starter will ever be a real thing, you can't gripe about the results he's put up in his young career as a reliever, where he's on track to become one of the best of all time. 

In 233 relief appearances over five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Chapman has struck out 381 batters in 227 1/3 innings, good for a strikeout rate of 42.3. 

So far in 2014, that rate is 52.8. In other words, Chapman has been striking out more than half the batters he faces. That is...inhuman. 

In any case, with a strikeout of Jordy Mercer in the ninth inning of Cincinnati's 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, Chapman set a Major League record for most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout, fanning a batter in his 40th consecutive game. His streak began on Aug. 21, 2013.

Chapman surpassed Bruce Sutter, who did so in 39 straight games for the Chicago Cubs in 1977.

"I'm proud and happy that I've got the record," Chapman said through a translator after the game. "[Since Thursday] when I learned that it was a record that I tied, it was on my mind, and now I feel happy that I have it, and I pray that I have the ability to extend the record."