After a 2017 season in which Kenley Jansen was heavily leaned on, the Los Angeles Dodgers curtailed his workload the following the Spring Training in effort to keep him fresh for the 2018 campaign.
Jansen also suffered from hamstring tightness during camp, which further impacted his schedule. All together, the Dodgers’ intention of preserving Jansen for what they hoped would be another run to the World Series ultimately backfired.
He vowed to pitch more regularly this past spring, and despite doing that, still battled some inconsistency come the start of the 2019 regular season. Just as Jansen was beginning to find his footing, he blew a save against the San Diego Padres on a Hunter Renfroe walk-off grand slam.
Jansen has righted the ship since then, and pointed to that deflating moment as helping fuel his desire to improve, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Just anger,” he said. “It’s not fun giving up a grand slam at the end. I thought I had it. Good for Hunter Renfroe, tip my cap to him. Definitely makes me angry and put me on a mission. We know what we have to accomplish here. Nothing but win a championship. Just let the anger be a motivation.”
Jansen previously detailed how meticulously studying his mechanics during a recent road trip has proven key to what’s morphed into a dominant stretch. Over his last 10 appearances, Jansen has recorded eight saves while allowing just four hits in 10.1 scoreless innings.
He’s collected 16 strikes against one walk (and one hit by pitch), while holding opponents to a
.114/.162/.229 batting line during that stretch.
Overall this season, Jansen is 2-1 and has 20 saves in 22 opportunities, to go along with a 2.93 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Already the Dodgers’ franchise leader, he’s now converted at least 20 saves in eight consecutive seasons.
While he’s continued to add to personal success, Jansen’s sole focus lies with doing his part to help the Dodgers end their World Series drought. He’s among the several players who have discussed the bitter feeling with falling short in back-to-back appearances in the Fall Classic.
