Jansen's 450th save caps Angels' escape act in Tampa

April 9th, 2025
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      TAMPA -- , MLB’s active leader in saves, has seen it all in his 16 seasons.

      But Tuesday’s game against the Rays was something he won’t forget anytime soon.

      “Well, this one's definitely going to be a memorable one,” Jansen said following the Angels’ 4-3 victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

      It was a milestone night for Jansen, who locked down his 450th career save. But he’ll also remember it for how he and the rest of the Angels’ bullpen lifted the team to its seventh win in 10 games this season.

      In the seventh inning, left-hander entered with a runner on third and nobody out and the Angels trailing by a run. Tampa Bay did not score.

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      In the eighth, lefty had a runner on third with nobody out in a tied game. Tampa Bay did not score.

      And in the ninth with the Angels up by a run, Jansen allowed a single and a stolen base to the first two batters he faced, Jake Mangum and Taylor Walls. Second and third, nobody out. Tampa Bay did not score.

      “We’ve just got some dogs in the bullpen,” McDaniels said. “We’re never out of the fight. We’ve got a bunch of dogs here.”

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      “It's huge,” Jansen said. “We all contributed in situations today to pick Ben [Joyce] up and pick everybody up. … It’s a huge team win.”

      Joyce was the only member of the bullpen who really struggled on this night. He allowed four hits -- three for extra bases -- to the first four hitters he faced in the seventh inning, which turned a 2-0 Angels lead into a 3-2 deficit.

      Those three extra-base hits came in the span of 12 pitches. Through his prior 47 career appearances, Joyce had given up only five extra-base hits. The velocity on his four-seamer and splinker were also down a couple of ticks, but Washington didn’t express any concern after the win.

      “Our big boy just didn't have it tonight, and the rest of them had to come in and try to keep it where it was,” Washington said.

      They did just that. Although McDaniels issued a couple of walks in relief of Joyce, he got out of the bases-loaded jam by striking out Brandon Lowe on a slider in the dirt.

      Burke’s jam was created by something you never see: Mike Trout misplaying a fly ball. He lost José Caballero’s drive down the right-field line in the lights and could only watch as it fell behind him. However, Burke responded with strikeouts of Curtis Mead and Christopher Morel and, one batter later, got a lineout from Danny Jansen to end the frame.

      put the Angels up with a two-out single in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Jansen. It wasn’t the cleanest inning in his storied career, but he’s been in these situations before. He knows what he can do.

      “All respect to every hitter,” Jansen said, “but when I’m out there, I feel like I’m the best.”

      Jansen got Yandy Díaz to bounce a ball to third base, and Rengifo made the throw home to d’Arnaud to tag out Mangum. Jansen then struck out Lowe and Caballero on his signature cutter -- the pitch that has made him one of the most productive closers the game has seen.

      “It was something that I've seen before,” Washington said of Jansen’s Houdini act in the ninth. “It was something that I've been a part of before on the opposite side when he’s pulled that off. So, I sort of felt like we were in a good place when he was out there.”

      Jansen said getting No. 450 was “awesome” and added, “I guess it shows greatness.”

      He also said that it’s fun to hit that mark with this club, one that is off to a surprising 7-3 start. It’s the third time in the Wild Card era (since 1995) that the Angels have begun a season by winning seven of their first 10 games. They did the same in 2018 and ’21.

      Jansen expects many more wins and “great things” from these Halos. But the hope is those future wins aren’t as suspenseful as what took place Tuesday.

      As d’Arnaud said immediately after the victory: “Wow, my heart is still racing.”

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      Brian Murphy is a reporter for MLB.com.