Inside The Phillies

Phillies Season in Review: Ian Kennedy

Inside the Phillies continues their season in review series with Philadelphia Phillies reliever and closer Ian Kennedy.

Kade Kistner

Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies needed bullpen help this season. Prior to the July trade deadline, the bullpen was on pace for the major league record for blown saves in a season. Their backend was struggling and it was costing them games.

Philadelphia attempted to put a bandage on the issue when they made a trade with the Texas Rangers that would see Kyle Gibson and Kennedy come to the Phillies. With Kennedy as the closer, they were then able to move Ranger Suárez from the role to the rotation with much success. 

During his time with Texas, Kennedy racked up 16 saves with an ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of 1.052 in 32.1 innings pitched. Granted, he was pitching on one of the worst teams in MLB and the pressure of competing for a contender was not a factor. 

After his move to Philadelphia, Kennedy regressed back to what his projected performance heading into the season was going to be. In 24 innings pitched, the closer recorded 10 saves with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP. 

In September, Kennedy recorded two consecutive blown saves. He would finish his season with three of the 32 blown saves for the Phillies all season. 

The team was hoping for more out of Kennedy down the stretch, and while he didn't play the part of the proven closer, he did help the team solve other problems on the roster. 

Kennedy is a free agent heading into the offseason and it is hard to see the Phillies bringing the reliever back in any capacity next season, especially considering he will be 37-years-old by Opening Day 2022. Well, at least he'll always have this special moment.

It was a good idea for Philadelphia to have him included in the trade package with the Rangers, especially with the NL East being such a tight race. However, they ultimately fell short, as did Kennedy. However, he was far from the biggest reason the Phillies missed the postseason for the tenth straight year.

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl.  During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated.  Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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