USA TODAY International Edition
Jansen postpones surgery for Series shot
PHOENIX – Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen lies in bed in his hotel room and feels his heart beating a little quicker, his mind suddenly racing, his body overcome with a surge of anxiety. It’s this strange sensation of nervousness, nothing like he has ever experienced on the pitcher’s mound but one that will seize control of his emotions without any warning. “It happens when I’m on the road, by myself, like today,” Jansen tells USA TODAY. “When my family’s not around, my mind starts to work a little faster. You think about it. You think about the future. You think about what they have to do with you in the offseason. You think about all of that stuff.” Jansen pauses, slowly exhales and, almost in a whisper in front of his locker, starts talking again. “I have a lot going on in my life, but it’s like when you go to a psychologist, they tell you to just come to the ballpark, do something that you love, and it relieves your mind. When I’m here, I don’t think about the heart issues and all of that stuff. It feels normal.” Jansen, who turns 31 on Monday, said he will have cardiac ablation surgery this winter, which will not only correct his irregular heartbeat but perhaps end those fears when alone on the road. “I don’t want any more incidents, so I need to have it,” Jansen says. “I want to be able to go to Colorado or anywhere else. I don’t want to have that same feeling again.” It was six weeks ago, the morning of Aug. 9 in downtown Denver, when he felt his chest tighten and his heart racing uncontrollably. Instead of panicking, he knew exactly what was happening. His heart was in atrial fibrillation. It happened to him in Colorado in 2011 and in 2012. The mile-high altitude was playing cruel games on his heart. He called 911 and was in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital. “I wasn’t worried about dying or anything like that,” Jansen says. “I didn’t want anyone else to worry either. I even called my family, asking how they were doing, laughing, things like that. Then, I said, ‘Oh, by the way, don’t be scared, but right now I’m in the hospital.’ ” Jansen’s biggest concern was not for his own well-being but that of his teammates, believing his heart might be responsible for not only ending his season but the Dodgers’ as well. “I thought my season was over when that happened again,” he said. “I was pissed off. I thought, ‘Shoot, I’ll be out four to six weeks. I’m done.’ I couldn’t believe it was happening again.” Jansen, placed on high doses of medication, was physically back in 11 days, but mentally he was nowhere to be found. He pitched three times in five days when he returned. He lost two of the games. Blew another. And surrendered four home runs in three innings. “I had no energy, none at all,” Jansen said. “That dosage blocked my adrenaline, blocked my motivation. I didn’t have anything. No energy at all.” Jansen stopped taking the medication for a week, returned to the doctor’s office and was prescribed a low dosage of medication. It has worked to perfection. Just in time to save the Dodgers’ season as they vie for their sixth consecutive National League West title. The only potential limitation now is if the Dodgers play the Rockies in the postseason. The doctors ordered him to stay at home 21⁄2 weeks ago when the Dodgers played a three-game series in Colorado to avoid another episode, and Jansen obliged. The only possibility of the Dodgers traveling to Denver again this season is if they face the Rockies in the NL Championship Series. If that happens, risk or no risk, Jansen already has made his decision. “We played it safe the last time,” Jansen said, “but this time, I’m definitely going. It doesn’t matter. If something happens, it happens. I’m not going to be scared of life.” Jansen isn’t trying to go all Rambo with machismo or defy doctors’ advice, but he’s being real. The Dodgers need him. When you look at Jansen’s turbulent season, it mirrors the Dodgers’. He struggled at the season’s outset, blowing two saves with a loss in his first seven appearances, yielding a 5.58 ERA in March and April. The Dodgers went 12-16 and were eight games behind the Diamondbacks heading into May. He was nearly perfect in May, successful in all nine of his save opportunities with a 0.60 ERA. The Dodgers responded by pulling within four games of the division lead. Jansen went on the DL with his irregular heartbeat in August, and the Dodgers lost nine of 12 games, falling to 41⁄2 games out of the lead. Now, with four saves and a victory, yielding a 1.86 ERA this month, the Dodgers have won 10 of their last 12 games and are back in first place, holding off the Rockies. “The thing I’m so proud of him is that for the last few years, he really didn’t have much adversity, so it was easy to stay positive,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But for him to deal with his struggles early, and you bring in the heart situation, to battle back and come out the other side like he has, he showed himself how strong he can be.” All that remains for Jansen to turn this into a Hollywood movie is winning a World Series ring. The Dodgers came close a year ago, losing in Game 7 to the Astros. The heart surgery can wait. He has a postseason to play. Maybe all the way through October and climaxed with a World Series parade in November. “Hey, I’m in no hurry,” Jansen says. “Trust me.”