How Kenley Jansen has become better than ever
ATLANTA - "99".
It was the number that flashed across the Truist Field scoreboard, identifying how fast Kenley Jansen was throwing to the final batter of the night in the Red Sox' 5-2 win over the Braves. But really what it represented was the punctuation to what has become a great story.
Sure, the number for the night most will highlight is "400" considering that is now how many career saves Jansen owns, joining only six others who have reached such a level. They were the digits that allowed for the gifting of a bass guitar after the game, along with a team-wide celebration that included a video reminding Jansen of his journey.
"It was great. I think the most important thing is him seeing the video from so many people that shared the same sentiments I do," said Jansen's longtime teammate Justin Turner. "Care for him and love him. I don’t think he anticipated that was coming. I didn’t watch the video. I was kind of watching him watch the video. I think that was pretty special."
"All those teammates," Jansen said. "It can't be better than seeing all the old faces. Coaches and my teammates. It's awesome. And it's a moment I will never forget."
But it was that "99" that maybe offered the best gift of all.
Riding all the ups, downs and in-betweens Jansen has weathered on his way to pumping in those high-90's cutters before finishing off d'Arnaud with a wily slider, was appreciated thanks to the place Jansen landed Wednesday night.
Just a few hours before pointing to the sky in celebration of his game-ending strikeout, Jansen was asked on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast if he was better than ever. The answer came without hesitation.
"I believe so ...," he said
There was so much to it, which was why the moment meant so much.
The acceptance of the advice from his wife to lean on professionals to get his mind right after the frustration of not being able to close out the Dodgers' 2020 World Series win. The understanding that even with his National League-best 41 saves last season, he could be better. And the commitment to figuring out how flexibility - and a few other tweaks - were going to lead to radar gun readings he hadn't seen in years.
(To hear the conversation with Jansen, go to the 36:10 mark of the podcast.)
All of it boiled over to make this 400th-save concoction that didn't disappoint.
"It's just surreal, man," Jansen explained. "It's just crazy. I can say today I'm the seventh guy who did that in 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."
What lies ahead for the 35-year-old? Well, that hint was another notable part of Jansen's day, which was delivered five hours before that 400th save and with Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom standing close enough to receive it loud and clear.