Dodgers fan favorite just secured his spot in Hall of Fame after latest milestone

Even with the plethora of major moves made by the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, one move they did not make was bringing back beloved closer Kenley Jansen in free agency. Right about now, they're probably wishing that they had.

After Jansen's unceremonious departure from the Boston Red Sox last season, plenty of fans began to speculate that it could mean the beginning of the end for the 37-year-old. But the reliever, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Angels in February, is showing that he still has something left in the tank.

Jansen, who has already cemented himself as the Angels' regular closer during his brief time in the organization, made history in Tuesday's win over the Tampa Bay Rays when he became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to reach 450 career saves.

He also passed Lee Smith for fifth place on the all-time strikeouts list among relief pitchers.

Dodgers fan favorite Kenley Jansen just secured his spot in Hall of Fame after latest milestone

Of Jansen's 450 saves, 350 of them came with the Dodgers, the team with whom he spent the first 12 of his 16 MLB seasons. The Dodgers signed Jansen as an undrafted free agent out of Curaçao in 2004, and he made his MLB debut with Los Angeles six years later in 2010.

In his first full Major League season in 2011, Jansen quickly cemented himself as an instrumental piece in the Dodgers' bullpen. He made the National League All-Star team for three straight seasons from 2016-18 and helped the Dodgers win a World Series title in 2020.

By the end of his 12 seasons with the Dodgers, Jansen had compiled a 37-26 record with a 2.37 ERA over 705 innings. He is 49-36 with a 2.56 ERA for his career across 873 1/3 innings pitched between the Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels and Atlanta Braves.

Jansen has said that he hopes to pitch into his early 40s, and his early performance with the Angels this season indicates that is a realistic goal. He has also said that he would like to retire as a Dodger – so even though it didn't happen this year, don't be surprised if a reunion happens at some point before he is ready to call it a career.

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