With every benchmark he reaches, closer Craig Kimbrel usually simply credits his teammates for putting him in position to convert saves. He did the same on Sunday, the day after becoming only the second Brave in franchise history to reach 30 or more saves in three seasons.
“It means we’re playing a lot of close games and we’re winning a lot of close games,” Kimbrel said.
But with each milestone, it’s becoming clearer how elite a closer Kimbrel is. The company he keeps now, with three seasons with 30 or more saves among Braves? He joins John Smoltz, who had 55, 45 and 44 saves in 2002-2004. Kimbrel was in high school then, watching as a fan growing up in Huntsville, Ala.
“How many closers throw five pitches?” Kimbrel said. “It was almost unfair for him to be closing.”
In his three seasons now as Braves closer, Kimbrel has 46, 42 and now 30 saves. He was a little “unfair” himself last year, striking out a record 16.7 batters per nine innings and holding opponents to a .126 batting average, the lowest since 1900.
The numbers haven’t been as eye-popping this year, but Kimbrel said converting save chances was always his primary objective. And that, with the exception of three blown saves over five chances in a two-week period this spring, is what he’s done.
“There’s always a point during the year that you feel like you’re not at your best and you have to get over that hump, and get past it,” Kimbrel said. “Sometimes you’re lucky enough that you don’t get out there and pitch when you’re going through that time but I was out there pitching trying to keep our team in it and I just wasn’t able to do it. Since then I feel like I’ve been able to move on and just take each outing at a time, and that’s really all you can do.”
