Kenley Jansen records milestone, earns 400th career save
Kenley Jansen joined a very exclusive club on Wednesday night. The veteran reliever earned his 400th career save against the Braves from Truist Park in Atlanta.
The Red Sox closer pitched a scoreless ninth inning, shutting the door on the Braves offense, Boston picked up a 5-2 win.
Jansen earned his 400th career save, becoming just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to record the mark. He joins Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478), Francisco Rodriguez (437), John Franco (424) and Billy Wagner (422).
The 35-year-old has had an excellent start to the season. In 12 games, he’s posted a 1-0 record with a 0.77 ERA, earning nine saves, 17 strikeouts and a 1.114 WHIP over 11 2/3 innings pitched.
Jansen signed two-year, $32 million contract with the Red Sox during the offseason. He’s provided stability in the backend of the bullpen, giving Boston an elite option in the ninth inning.
Following the game, Jansen admitted that he was nervous and shaking leading up to the moment.
“It's just surreal,” said Jansen to reporters, including MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “It’s just crazy. I can say today I'm the seventh guy who did that. With baseball being around for so long, it’s unbelievable. I’m just going to continue to let this keep motivating me and keep striving for more.”
Once the Red Sox got back to the clubhouse, Jansen’s teammates celebrated with the closer. The team and players had surprises, including a bass guitar that had "400" engraved on it.
Jansen has been known to play the guitar pre and postgame in the clubhouse.
“It can't be better than that,” Jansen said. “I probably won't play that one. I might play it one time, but that’s definitely going to go onto the wall as a souvenir.”
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