ARLINGTON, Texas– After retiring the final batter with a 94 miles per hour fastball on Friday night, and setting out the side, Kenley Jansen glared at the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout with a strength rarely seen from the personable right-hander. The meaning behind it, Jansen said, was basically, “Lets go!”
To the rest of the Dodgers, it represented something else: Kenley Jansen– the good Kenley Jansen– is back.
Jansen recorded the final three outs of Saturdays 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. Jansen, who dealt with the bottom of the Braves order, was helped by a moving catch from Joc Pederson to open the inning, then got regular fly outs from Nick Markakis and Pablo Sandoval.
1 Related” If we wan na get to where we wan na be, and holding that prize at the end of the year, were gon na need him,” Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said. “Hes gon na be a big part of it. 2 substantial trips, not just for us but for him personally. And you can just see the confidence he has on the mound, assaulting guys. Thats the Kenley Jansen I and all of us in there like and know.”
Jansen wasnt bad this season– he finished with a 3.33 ERA, 33 strikeouts and nine strolls in 24 1/3 innings– however as soon as again he wasnt consistently dominant. The velocity on his cutter began to dip listed below 90 miles per hour towards the end of the regular season, and he started the playoffs on unstable footing.
After Jansen failed to safeguard a three-run lead against the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the division series, Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts briefly eliminated him from high-leverage situations. His next appearance was with a 14-run lead in the 6th inning of Game 3 of the NLCS. But Roberts discovered a smoother, more repeatable delivery in that outing. After Jansen started out the side to easily hold a four-run lead in the ninth inning of Game 5, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager stated he saw somebody who was pitching with confidence once again.
On Saturday, Jansen tossed his cutter 90 to 91 mph and combined it with a two-seamer that neared the mid-90s.
” The games honoring him,” Roberts said of Jansen. “I could not be more happy and happy of him.”
Jansen, 33, has actually spent the past couple of weeks searching to get his upper half and his lower half in sync, a consistent problem for someone with a 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame. A couple of days back, through discussions with longtime pitchers Charlie Hough and Rick Honeycutt, both of whom still have ties to the organization, Jansen had the ability to discover the tidy, simple delivery of his early years. The consistency, he believes, is starting to come.
” Aint no roles in the playoffs,” Jansen stated when asked about being briefly eliminated as the groups closer. “Its, When can you be in the best position to assist your group win? Ive been here for a long period of time, and its nothing else to have a ring here with the organization. Thats the last thing I seem like I require to achieve here. We want it. We desire it for everybody, and the fans deserve it, and its about winning a championship here.”
Jansen tape-recorded the final 3 outs of Saturdays 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. Thats the Kenley Jansen I and all of us in there enjoy and understand.”
After Jansen failed to safeguard a three-run lead against the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the division series, Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts briefly eliminated him from high-leverage scenarios. After Jansen struck out the side to quickly hold a four-run lead in the ninth inning of Game 5, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager stated he saw somebody who was pitching with confidence again.
” Aint no functions in the playoffs,” Jansen said when asked about being briefly gotten rid of as the groups closer.
