Craig Kimbrel of Huntsville, Alabama became the eighth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 400 career saves. On Friday, he accomplished the feat in a 6-4 Philadelphia Phillies win over the Atlanta Braves.
Inside Look at the 400th Save
Kimbrel came into the game with the Phillies leading 6-4. He faced four Braves batters, and had 22 pitches of which 12 were strikes. Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia both flew out to center field. Michael Harris II then walked before Ronald Acuna Jr. grounded out to third base.
400 Saves
Of Kimbrel’s 400 saves, 186 came with the Atlanta Braves, 108 were with the Boston Red Sox, 39 were with the San Diego Padres, 38 were with the Chicago Cubs, 22 were with the Los Angeles Dodgers, six were with the Philadelphia Phillies and one with the Chicago White Sox. For four straight years from 2011 to 2014, Kimbrel led the National League while with the Braves. He had 46 saves in 2011, 42 saves in 2012, 50 saves in 2013 and 47 saves in 2014. When Kimbrel had 50 saves with Atlanta in 2013, he also led the Major Leagues too.
Career Statistics
In 730 games, Kimbrel has a record of 44 wins and 37 losses with an earned run average of 2.40. In 707 1/3 innings pitched, he has struck out 1128 batters, and given up 412 hits, 189 earned runs, and 291 walks with a spectacular WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 0.99, Kimbrel was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2011, and was an eight-time All-Star.
Struggles in 2023
Despite the fact Kimbrel has put together Hall of Fame numbers in his career, the 2023 season has been a struggle for him. He has an earned run average of 5.68 and a WHIP of 1.32.
Who are the other seven with 400 saves?
Mariano Rivera is the all-time leader in saves with 652. He is followed by Trevor Hoffman with 601, Lee Smith with 478, Francisco Rodriguez with 437, John Franco with 424, Billy Wagner with 422 and Kenley Jansen with 401.
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