Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
It has been nearly five years since Kenley Jansen threw a pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he is still going strong with the Detroit Tigers in his 17th MLB season.
The right-hander has recorded 22 saves this year and is just two away from reaching 500 for his career. He would become just the third pitcher in MLB history to eclipse that mark, joining Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
Jansen’s successful career as a closer only came to be after he was convinced by former Dodgers vice president of player development De Jon Watson to abandon catching for pitching while in the Minor Leagues.
Jansen expects to receive a call from Watson, who is now an executive with the Houston Astros, when he reaches the milestone, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“I know when I get my 500th save,” Jansen said, “I’m going to get a call from that man, and De Jon is going to say to me, ‘So, how about that? You didn’t want to pitch. Now, look at you.’ I know I’m going to hear all about it when I get to 500.”
Jansen wasn’t sure about the position change at first but credits Watson for helping him get to where he is today.
“I can’t wait,” Jansen said, “because I appreciate him so much for what he did for me. He was always hard on me, and I didn’t understand it at the time, but he saw something special in me. He believed in me before I believed in myself.
“Believe me, I’m not here without him.”
The decision to become a pitcher turned out to be one of the best moves Jansen ever made. Among other accolades, he has earned four All-Star Game appearances, won a World Series, and twice was named National League Trevor Hoffman Relief Pitcher of the Year in his career.
Kenley Jansen’s Dodgers career
Jansen signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent out of Curacao in 2004. He made his MLB debut on July 24, 2010, and immediately established himself as a key member of their bullpen.
From 2011-15, Jansen was one of the most underrated relief pitchers in baseball as he posted a 2.42 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 14 strikeouts per nine with 138 saves across 313 innings. He was finally recognized with his first All-Star selection in 2016, which also happened to be the year he passed Eric Gagné as the Dodgers’ all-time saves leader.
Jansen made two more All-Star appearances in 2017-2018 before struggling with some inconsistencies over the next two seasons. He bounced back with a strong 2021 season, which was his final in L.A.
Jansen has since pitched for the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Tigers. He hasn’t indicated when he might call it a career, but Jansen made it clear he would like to retire with the Dodgers.
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