Kimbrel 8th pitcher in MLB history to earn 400 saves, Phillies beat Braves 6-4
>> Craig Kimbrel had a feeling this would be a special night, so he wanted about 30 to 40 family members and friends from Alabama to come watch him reach a rare milestone.
The hard-throwing closer became the eighth pitcher in major league history to earn 400 saves as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Friday.
“I'm happy it was here in Atlanta,” said Kimbrel, who began his career with the Braves. “I am happy the majority of my family was here to see it. Getting to take it in and enjoy it with them is great.”
Making his 730th career appearance, the 34-yearold Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth inning to get his sixth save in six chances this season. Of the seven previous relievers to reach 400 saves, only Mariano Rivera (697 games), Trevor Hoffman (706) and Kenley Jansen (778) hit the threshold in under 800 appearances.
Kimbrel, the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year, played his first five seasons in Atlanta,
was a four-time AllStar with the Braves and still holds the franchise record with 186 saves. This is his first season with Philadelphia. Over his last 15 games since April 16, Kimbrel has faced 54 batters and has 26 strikeouts in 14 innings, but the right-hander has struggled at times this year with a 5.68 ERA.
Kimbrel grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, about a three-hour drive from Atlanta, and it was with the Braves that he broke through as one of the game's most feared relievers. He's been named an All-Star eight times, and he helped
the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series.
He said he never set out to break records or join exclusive lists, but his career has worked out pretty well.
“My goal is to show up and get ready to pitch in those opportunities as much as I can,” Kimbrel said. “Always knowing I was closing games, I was hoping to get 35 to 40 a year doing my job, and that's about it. It's one year at a time, one save at a time.”
Brandon Marsh hit a goahead, two-run single in the sixth for Philadelphia.
Facing reliever Joe Jiménez (0-1) with the bases loaded, Marsh made it 4-3 with a single to left field that scored Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies scored twice in the seventh off Lucas Luetge on Trea Turner's RBI double and Bryce Harper's sacrifice fly.
The Braves led 3-2 in the fifth when Michael Harris II snapped a 1-for-28 slump with a two-run homer. Beginning the game hitting .165, Harris drove an 88 mph splitter from starter Taijuan Walker (4-2) for an opposite-field shot to left that made it 3-2. It was the second home run for Harris, last season's NL Rookie of the Year.
“I had some things go on early in the season with injuries and I guess that kind of affected some of my mechanics,” Harris said. “I just had to bring that back once I was 100%. It's really tough. You've got to keep telling yourself to stay patient, just believe in yourself and play the game that you play.”
The NL-leading Braves dropped to 31-20. Philadelphia, stuck in fourth place in the NL East after advancing to the World Series last year, is 24-27. The Phillies are seven games back of Atlanta in the division standings.