Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel approaching historic milestone
Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth inning in the Philadelphia Phillies' 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, creeping ever closer to a historic milestone.
Kimbrel earned career save No. 397 and is three away from becoming only the seventh player in MLB history to reach 400.
Kimbrel likely won't be the only player to join the 400-save club this year. Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox is also three saves away from the feat. Kimbrel and Jansen are tied for the most saves by active players and are tied for seventh on the all-time list, 25 behind Billy Wagner for sixth.
An eight-time All-Star over his first 12 seasons in the league, Kimbrel struggled in his only campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, losing his closer role ahead of the postseason. However, in a small sample size with the Phillies, Kimbrel has recently looked like his old self.
Over the 34-year-old's last 10 outings, he's allowed only five hits and an earned run, striking out 14 through 9 2/3 innings.
Kimbrel has anchored a Phillies bullpen that is seemingly hitting its stride after some shaky results early. According to MLB Network, Philly's relievers have allowed three runs over the last 32 innings, sporting a 0.84 ERA while recording 40 strikeouts and only four walks.
The Phillies are 7-3 over that stretch after Thursday's win, improving to .500 (13-13) for the first time this season.
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