Kenley Jansen had an unconventional path to Major League Baseball, but the 35-year-old will never forget his roots.
The first episode of “My Story: Red Sox” will debut Saturday, and it can be watched on NESN following Boston’s game against the Anaheim Angels or on demand using NESN 360.
Jansen features in the premiere episode, where he chronicles his journey from a catcher in the minor leagues to a closer at the major-league level.
The three-time All-Star has worn No. 74 throughout his MLB career and kept the jersey when he signed with the Red Sox this past offseason. What fans might not know is the number holds a special meaning to the 14th-year closer.
“No. 74 is about my parents’ house,” Jansen told NESN’s Tom Caron. “There were times that we went through difficult times.”
“Seventy-four means everything for Kenley, because that’s where was he was raised,” his wife Gianni said. “They were about to lose their home, and Kenley just got (called) up and got his first paycheck. And he said he will pay his mom’s house off, so they don’t lose the house.”
“Seeing them, how close they were to losing the home we grew up in, don’t think about me. Think about my parents first and give them a hand to help them save the house,” Jansen said. “I will forever were 74.”
“Then he said, ‘I will carry my family on my back for the rest of my life,’ ” Gianni said. “That’s why 74 means a lot for Kenley.”
Jansen has played three games so far into the 2023 Red Sox season heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. He has a 1-0 record with four strikeouts and two saves in as many opportunities.
As he hopes to be a leader in Boston, he’ll continue to play for those that helped get him to where he is in his career.
“When I wear 74, I represent everybody,” Jansen said. “I represent my mom. I represent my dad. I represent my brothers. I represent everybody, my wife, my kids. I represent my home I grew up in, and for me to take make it (in the majors) less in a year as a pitcher, if you didn’t believe in God, you ask him to show you the way and sometimes it comes in mysterious ways.”
You can watch the full episode of Jansen’s “My Story” when it debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. ET or after on demand using NESN 360.
