History of Kenley Jansen in Timeline

Kenley Jansen is a professional baseball pitcher from Curaçao, currently playing for the Detroit Tigers in MLB. He has also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels. Jansen has represented the Netherlands in international baseball competitions. Known for his cutter, he has been one of the more dominant closers in MLB.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

September 30, 1987: Kenley Jansen Born

On September 30, 1987, Kenley Geronimo Jansen, a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher, was born.

Others born on this day/year

1991: Broke Jay Howell's Records

In 2015, Kenley Jansen broke Jay Howell's team records, set in 1991, of 13 games without a walk to start a season and 20 strikeouts without a walk to start a season. Jansen struck out 23 batters in his first 14 games of the season, without giving up a walk

November 17, 2004: Signed by Dodgers Organization

On November 17, 2004, Kenley Jansen was signed as an undrafted free agent catcher by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and was assigned to the Rookie Class Gulf Coast Dodgers.

2004: Signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent

In 2004, Kenley Jansen was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent.

2007: Split Season Between Raptors and Loons

In 2007, Kenley Jansen split the season between the Ogden Raptors and the Class-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, hitting .207 in 73 games. After the season, he again played in Hawaii Winter Baseball, this time for the West Oahu CaneFires.

2008: Played for the Loons

In 2008, Kenley Jansen played for the Great Lakes Loons, hitting .227 with 9 home runs in 79 games. He was selected to the mid-season Midwest League All-Star game.

November 19, 2009: Added to Dodgers 40-Man Roster

On November 19, 2009, Kenley Jansen was added to the Los Angeles Dodgers' 40-man roster.

2009: Experimented with Changeup

In 2009, Kenley Jansen experimented with a changeup.

2009: Played in the World Baseball Classic

In 2009, Kenley Jansen was the starting catcher for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. He threw out Willy Taveras in the ninth inning during the Netherlands' upset victory over the Dominican Republic.

2009: Switched to Pitching

In 2009, the Los Angeles Dodgers convinced Kenley Jansen, due to his poor offensive numbers as a catcher, to switch to pitching. He made the conversion in the second half of the 2009 season at Inland Empire, under the tutelage of Charlie Hough.

May 15, 2010: Promoted to Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts

On May 15, 2010, Kenley Jansen was promoted to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, where he was selected to the mid-season Southern League All-Star Game.

July 23, 2010: Promoted to the Dodgers

On July 23, 2010, Kenley Jansen was promoted to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2010: First Season with the Dodgers

In 2010, Kenley Jansen appeared in 25 games with the Dodgers, working 27 innings with a 1–0 record, a 0.67 ERA, and four saves.

2010: MLB Debut

In 2010, Kenley Jansen made his Major League Baseball debut.

2011: Key Member of Dodgers Bullpen

In 2011, Kenley Jansen became a key member of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen, achieving a 2–1 record with a 2.85 ERA in 53+2⁄3 innings and saving five games. He also set a new Major League season record with 16+1⁄3 strikeouts per nine innings.

2011: Experimented with Changeup

In 2011, Kenley Jansen experimented with a changeup.

2011: Diagnosed with Irregular Heartbeat

In 2011, Kenley Jansen was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and was placed on blood thinners, causing him to miss some playing time.

May 2012: Became Dodgers' Closer

In May 2012, Kenley Jansen became the Los Angeles Dodgers' closer after Javy Guerra struggled in the role.

October 24, 2012: Underwent Heart Ablation Procedure

On October 24, 2012, Kenley Jansen underwent a 3-hour catheter ablation procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. During the procedure, Koonwalee Nademanee identified and cauterized abnormal tissue in his left atrium.

2012: Became Dodgers' Closer

In 2012, Kenley Jansen started serving as the Los Angeles Dodgers' closer.

2012: Used Cut Fastball Predominantly and Debuted Four-Seam Fastball

In 2012, Kenley Jansen used his cut fastball about 93% of the time and debuted a four-seam fastball at the end of the season.

2012: Previous Heart Procedure Site

In November 2018, during a heart ablation procedure, doctors found small veins near the site of his 2012 heart procedure had grown.

2012: High Strikeout Rate

Through the 2012 season, Kenley Jansen had a very high strikeout rate, garnering 14.6 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched.

March 16, 2013: Birth of Daughter Natalia Hannah Jansen

On March 16, 2013, Kenley Jansen's daughter, Natalia Hannah Jansen, was born.

2013: Resumed Role as Closer

In 2013, Kenley Jansen began the season as the setup man in the bullpen but resumed the role as closer when Brandon League struggled. He pitched in 75 games with a 4–3 record, 1.88 ERA, and 28 saves.

2013: Joined Netherlands Team for World Baseball Classic Semi-Finals

In 2013, Kenley Jansen was a late addition to the Netherlands national baseball team for the World Baseball Classic, added to the roster for the semi-finals after transitioning to pitching, although he did not appear in the game.

2013: Adam Wainwright Strikeouts Record

In 2017, on June 2nd, Kenley Jansen recorded his 36th strikeout of the season, setting an MLB season record for most strikeouts without giving up a walk. The previous record was held by Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who struck out 35 batters before giving up a walk in the 2013 season.

February 11, 2014: Signed $4.3 Million Contract

On February 11, 2014, Kenley Jansen avoided his first arbitration hearing by signing a $4.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

2014: Threw Pitch Over 100 MPH

In 2014, Kenley Jansen exceeded 100 mph with his cut fastball.

January 16, 2015: Signed $7.425 Million Contract

On January 16, 2015, Kenley Jansen avoided arbitration again, signing a one-year $7.425 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

August 16, 2015: Birth of Son Kaden Isaiah Jansen

On August 16, 2015, Kenley Jansen's son, Kaden Isaiah Jansen, was born.

January 15, 2016: Signed $10.65 Million Contract

On January 15, 2016, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year, $10.65 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in his final year of arbitration.

2016: Named NL Reliever of the Year

In 2016, Kenley Jansen was named the National League Reliever of the Year.

January 10, 2017: Re-signed with Dodgers

On January 10, 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the re-signing of Kenley Jansen to a five-year, $80 million contract.

2017: Participated in the World Baseball Classic

After initially declining, Jansen joined Team Netherlands for the 2017 World Baseball Classic semi-finals. He pitched a scoreless 9th inning against Team Puerto Rico, striking out two, but the Netherlands lost in the 11th inning.

2017: World Series Appearance and Loss

In 2017, Kenley Jansen finished all three games of the Dodgers' NLDS sweep of the Diamondbacks. He saved two of the games. Jansen allowed two runs to score, including a solo homer by Marwin González in Game Two of the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros. Overall, he pitched 8+2⁄3 innings over six games, with two saves and three runs allowed as the Dodgers lost the series in seven games.

2017: Led National League in Saves

In 2017, Kenley Jansen led the National League in saves.

2017: Named NL Reliever of the Year

In 2017, Kenley Jansen was awarded the National League Reliever of the Year Award for the second straight year. He also set an MLB season record for most strikeouts without giving up a walk with 36 strikeouts

2017: Spring Training Injury and Workload

In 2017, Kenley Jansen was bothered by an injury during spring training and was slow-played after his workload.

June 2018: Extended Save

Kenley Jansen recorded his first five-out save since June 2018 in Pittsburgh in a series against the Mets.

August 9, 2018: Irregular Heartbeat Recurrence

On August 9, 2018, Kenley Jansen experienced a recurrence of his irregular heartbeat before a game in Denver. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list and temporarily used medication, before switching to aspirin to mitigate side effects.

August 22, 2018: Birth of Son Kyrian Jeremiah Jansen

On August 22, 2018, Kenley Jansen's son, Kyrian Jeremiah Jansen, was born.

November 26, 2018: Underwent Heart Ablation Procedure

On November 26, 2018, Kenley Jansen underwent a 5+1⁄2-hour heart ablation procedure in Los Angeles to address small veins near the site of his 2012 procedure. Following the procedure, he adopted a healthier diet and lost 25 pounds.

2018: Struggles in the World Series

In 2018, Kenley Jansen was effective against Atlanta and Milwaukee in the postseason, not allowing a run, but struggled in the World Series, blowing two save opportunities as he allowed game-tying home runs to Jackie Bradley Jr. in Game 3 and Steve Pearce in Game 4 as the Dodgers lost the series to the Boston Red Sox in five games.

2018: Third Straight All-Star Game Selection

In 2018, after turning around a shaky April with strong performances in May, June, and July, Kenley Jansen was chosen for his third straight All-Star Game appearance.

April 7, 2019: Four-Out Save Against Rockies

On April 7, 2019, Kenley Jansen recorded a four-out save against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver.

June 15, 2019: Debuted Intentional Balk

On June 15, 2019, Kenley Jansen debuted the intentional balk in the top of the ninth against the Chicago Cubs. The intentional balk was an idea he came up with bench coach Bob Geren, in which he has a runner on second and two outs and balks the runner to third to prevent the runner from stealing signs.

2019: Reached 300 Career Saves

In 2019, Kenley Jansen became the 30th pitcher to reach 300 career saves.

2019: Pitched in NLDS

In the 2019 NLDS, Kenley Jansen pitched to five batters and did not allow any of them to reach base.

July 12, 2020: Returned to Summer Training Camp After COVID-19 Recovery

On July 12, 2020, Kenley Jansen reported to summer training camp for the first time after recovering from COVID-19.

2020: COVID-19 Infection and World Series Appearance

In 2020, Kenley Jansen was late reporting to camp after a COVID-19 infection affected his conditioning. Despite this, he appeared in 27 games, achieving a 3–1 record with 11 saves. He led the National League with 24 games finished. In Game 4 of the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jansen blew his fourth career World Series save, setting a new World Series record.

September 12, 2021: Birth of Daughter Key’Gia Keziah Jansen

On September 12, 2021, Kenley Jansen's daughter, Key’Gia Keziah Jansen, was born.

2021: 1,000th Strikeout and Postseason Performance

In 2021, Kenley Jansen recorded his 1,000th strikeout against Austin Nola on August 25th. He finished the season with 38 saves and a 2.22 ERA. Jansen also recorded a win in the National League Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched in five games of the 2021 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, recording a save in Game 3.

March 18, 2022: Signed with the Atlanta Braves

On March 18, 2022, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year contract worth $16 million with the Atlanta Braves.

June 2022: Dealt with Irregular Heartbeat Again

In June 2022, Kenley Jansen again dealt with an irregular heartbeat.

December 13, 2022: Signed with the Boston Red Sox

On December 13, 2022, Kenley Jansen signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

2022: Signed with the Braves

In 2022, after playing 11 years with the Dodgers, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves after entering free agency. He then signed with the Red Sox.

May 10, 2023: Recorded 400th Save

On May 10, 2023, Kenley Jansen became the seventh pitcher in MLB history to record 400 saves.

2023: Totaled 400 Career Saves

In 2023, Kenley Jansen became the 7th pitcher to total 400 career saves.

2023: Represented Netherlands in World Baseball Classic

Kenley Jansen represented the Netherlands national baseball team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

2024: Passed John Franco on All-Time Saves List

In 2024, Kenley Jansen began the season as Boston's closer and on April 20th, he earned his 425th career save, surpassing John Franco for fifth place on the major-league all-time list. He finished the 2024 season with 27 saves, a 3.29 ERA, and 62 strikeouts.