Red Sox’s Kenley Jansen Reflects On Moving Up All-Time Saves List

Kenley Jansen made history last season with the Boston Red Sox when the closer recorded his 400th career save to become part of an exclusive group.

And the veteran right-hander made a little bit more history Wednesday as he continues to move up the all-time saves list.

Jansen secured a 1-0 road win for the Red Sox over the Oakland Athletics to notch the 422nd save of his career. It didn’t come easy, though, with Jansen getting himself into a jam by putting the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth.

But Jansen came away unscathed, punching out Ryan Noda to end the threat and the game. And as a result, Jansen is now tied for sixth all time in saves with Billy Wagner.

“That’s probably the best lefty, probably closer to tie with,” Jansen told reporters, per The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “So it’s great to tie with him. Get my rest tomorrow and be ready for the next one, helping this team win ballgames.”

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Jansen, who has battled back tightness early in the season which caused him to be unavailable for a game against the Seattle Mariners, certainly needed Thursday’s off-day. The 36-year-old worked back-to-back games for the first time on the season, throwing 47 pitches over the two appearances.

Jansen hasn’t had the same type of high-end production with the Red Sox that he experienced during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers or even with the Atlanta Braves in 2022. Jansen recorded 29 saves last season, his lowest total since 2013 — excluding the 2020 shortened season. But Jansen still is extremely reliable and will continue to be relied upon in Boston’s bullpen this season.

“I’m having fun right now,” Jansen said. “Staying in the moment. God blessed me with another year in the big leagues. To me, that’s awesome. We all know the stories here with Boston. I’m all in. I’m dedicated and we’re going to try to get this thing to the promised land. That’s the goal. So, we’re going to continue to battle.”

Jansen has two saves on the season and two more will tie him with John Franco for the fifth-most saves in MLB history. It’s also a very real possibility that Jansen moves further up the list later in the season as Francisco Rodriguez’s 437 saves are within his sights.