Philadelphia Phillies veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel reached an impressive career milestone Friday, earning career save No. 400. Fittingly, he logged the milestone save against the team that drafted him 16 years ago – the Atlanta Braves.
Kimbrel becomes only the eighth pitcher in baseball history to reach the 400-save mark and the second this season, joining Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox, who also achieved the feat against the Braves.
“I’m glad I got this opportunity tonight,” Kimbrel said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It’s kind of where it all started. It’s awesome.”
Kimbrel made a name for himself with the Braves, leading the league in saves in four of his five seasons with Atlanta. The 34-year-old right-hander has bounced around since a trade from the Braves in 2015, pitching for the San Diego Padres, Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies.
Following Friday’s outing, Kimbrel is 3-1 with a 5.68 ERA and six saves in 21 appearances for the Fightin’ Phils this season.
Kimbrel’s history-making save helped the Phillies secure a sorely needed win. The defending National League champions have lost eight of their last 12 games as they embark on their longest road trip of the 2023 campaign (10 games). Philadelphia remains under .500 (24-27), trailing the Braves (31-20) by seven games in the NL East standings.
