Fastball

Philadelphia Phillies' Craig Kimbrel Hits Career Milestone on Friday

The longtime closer became the second pitcher this season to pick up career save No. 400, joining Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen.

Brady Farkas

Philadelphia Phillies' Craig Kimbrel Hits Career Milestone on Friday
Philadelphia Phillies' Craig Kimbrel Hits Career Milestone on Friday /
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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Craig Kimbrel reached a career milestone on Friday night against the Atlanta Braves, recording his 400th career save.

Kimbrel is the second pitcher to record his 400th career save this season, as Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen did it earlier in May. Ironically, both pitchers recorded the milestone save against the Braves -- in Atlanta.

The milestone has added meaning to Kimbrel given that he started his career in Atlanta, which the MLB Twitter account noted:

Craig Kimbrel becomes the 8th reliever ever to reach 400 saves. And he does it in Atlanta, where it all started.

This season, Kimbrel is 3-1 out of the bullpen with a 5.68 ERA. He has 30 strikeouts in 19 innings and now has six saves.

For his career, he's 44-37 with a 2.40 ERA in 707.1 innings. 

He debuted with the Braves in 2010 and played there until 2014. He spent 2015 in San Diego, then spent 2016-2018 in Boston, 2019-part of 2021 with the Cubs, part of 2021 with the White Sox, 2022 with the Dodgers and this year with the Phillies.

He is an eight-time All-Star selection who won the Rookie of the Year award in 2011. He has received Cy Young Award votes in five separate seasons and has gotten MVP votes in three separate years.

The Phillies won this game, 6-4, to move to 24-27 on the season. With the loss, the Braves are now 31-20.

Atlanta remains in first place in the National League East, 4.5 games ahead of the New York Mets and six games ahead of the Marlins, who are in third.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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