LOS ANGELES — Fourteen years after his first save with the Dodgers, Kenley Jansen isn’t ready to close out his career.
Only two pitchers in baseball history have recorded 600 career saves – Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601). Jansen holds both in high regard and would like to make it a three-man club before he retires and waits for his call to the Hall.
“I think once I hit 400 last year, that’s when I started thinking about it,” Jansen said. “I still believe I can do it. This offseason, I’m going to put the work in to be even better.”
Jansen has converted 19 of 20 save opportunities with the Boston Red Sox this season, tied for fourth in the American League – four behind Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel, who could race Jansen to 600. Kimbrel has 440 career saves, Jansen has 439.
If he gets there this season, it would be Jansen’s 12th season with at least 25 saves. He would need six more of those to reach 600, putting him into his 40s.
But this is the second year of the two-year deal Jansen signed with the Red Sox. Free agency awaits after this season and the market for 36-year-old relievers is usually not very robust. So where will Jansen be to continue his road to 600?
“That’s going to be interesting to find out,” he said with a smile.
“I can’t control the situation. Like I’ve said, I enjoyed being an Atlanta Brave (for the 2022 season). Such a great organization. And I’m enjoying being in Boston. It’s such an unbelievable sports town. They root hard for all of the teams – Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox. I’m learning that if you’re accountable and you’re honest, they’ve got your back and if you step out there and get it done, they cherish you and support you. It’s fun being in this organization.”
But Jansen’s home – and probably his heart – remains in Los Angeles. When rumors bubbled up that the Dodgers might be interested in bringing the franchise’s all-time saves leader back via trade, Jansen definitely noticed.
“There was conversation, I guess. There had to be something, right?” he said of the rumors. “So I did call my agent about it. He said, ‘Yeah, there’s something there.’ But if you’re going to keep looking at it, it’s going to drive you crazy.”
Jansen said he has grown a thicker skin since leaving Los Angeles. His last few years as the Dodgers’ closer were difficult at times. Jansen was no longer the invulnerable shut-down closer he was in his prime and he was hurt when fans turned on him. But he has learned “to cancel out the noise” since then, he said.
“I’ve learned more about myself,” Jansen said. “The people saying ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that,’ I cancel that out. At some point, I feel like with the Dodgers I was cruising and maybe ‘19 and ‘20 weren’t as good as they usually were. Like I said – noise. I listened to it and it dragged me down.
“I’m still doing it at a high level. Once I learned to cancel the noise, I got back to being myself. … You can’t let that cut you too deep. Now, I’m a different guy. I see things clear. I go out there and it slows the game down. I don’t care what people say about me.”
One thing hasn’t changed, though, Jansen said.
“I still love playing baseball,” he said.
Left-hander James Paxton will start the series finale against one of his former teams, the Red Sox, on Sunday. Beyond that, the Dodgers’ starting rotation is unsettled.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated rookie right-hander Landon Knack will start one of the four games against the San Francisco Giants beginning Monday. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow said he expects to come off the injured list and start Wednesday.
Clayton Kershaw rejoined the Dodgers Saturday in Los Angeles and Roberts said he “feels good” after his four-inning rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers could decide to “pencil him in” to return during the Giants series.
“We’re going to kind of finalize things. We’ll make a decision today on whether he’s going to join us next week or not,” Roberts said.
Another rookie, right-hander River Ryan, is “a possibility” to join the rotation and make his major-league debut as soon as Monday. Ryan started the season late after a sore shoulder this spring prompted the Dodgers to handle him cautiously. He has pitched just 24⅓ innings in the Arizona Complex League, Class-A and Triple-A this season, but he is currently in Arizona preparing for the likely assignment with the Dodgers.
“He’s looming,” Roberts said.
Veteran reliever Ryan Brasier threw an inning to Dodgers hitters in a simulated game setting Saturday afternoon. Brasier is expected to go on a rehab assignment soon. He has been out since April with a strained calf muscle.
Red Sox (RHP Kutter Crawford, 6-7, 3.04 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP James Paxton, 7-2, 4.38 ERA), 4:10 p.m. Sunday, ESPN, 570 AM
