Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen secured his 424th career save during Sunday’s 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park, but he was less than satisfied with his performance.
Jansen’s ninth-inning efforts included hitting a batter, allowing a base hit and a walk, and conceding a sacrifice fly, though he ultimately sealed the win with two strikeouts.
Post-game, Jansen voiced concerns over his inability to control the pitch, attributing it to the poor quality of the baseballs, especially under adverse weather conditions. “I got to get better, but also if you’re playing in the cold weather, windy, and you get pearls balls out there that’s not rubbed well, I don’t know where the ball’s going,” Jansen reported, as quoted by Maureen Mullen of the Associated Press.
He described the baseballs as “embarrassing” and noted that the slickness of the game balls has been a recurring issue early in the 2024 season. This comes after MLB’s 2021 ban on sticky substances that helped pitchers grip the ball better, coupled with the introduction of a pitch clock in 2023 to quicken games.
While Jansen’s statistics may not have suffered markedly, his comments could signal a broader issue for MLB if other pitchers start echoing his concerns about the ball quality.
