Kenley Jansen dominated his former team in back-to-back saves as the Angels swept the Dodgers. The veteran closer showed emotion, heat, and leadership in a statement series win.
Brief Summary: Kenley Jansen, once a staple of the Dodgers’ bullpen, helped his new team—the Angels—sweep L.A. with two dominant saves. The emotional series win tightened the Angels’ race for a wild card spot.
Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers will always be linked — after all, L.A. is where he became one of the game’s premier closers. But that doesn’t mean he’s not looking to shut the door on his old team every chance he gets.
This week, Jansen did just that, slamming the door shut in games one and two as the Angels completed a three-game sweep over the Dodgers. And he didn’t just close — he dominated, flashing that familiar intensity on the mound.
“It’s definitely emotional every time I step on that mound,” Jansen said. “A majority of my career has been there, so I enjoy being on that mound again. But it’s just another competition. So I try to treat it the same like any team I’m facing, so just go out there and compete and try to help the team win ballgames.”
He also brought the heat — literally. Fans and analysts noticed a little extra zip on his pitches.
“It was probably the adrenaline of being home and facing his old team,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “But he has that in him. I think he threw 95 one time in Tampa. So I think every now and then, he has it in him, and he knows when to go get it. That’s his experience.”
The sweep was more than just sweet revenge — it was crucial. With the three wins, the Angels moved to within 4.5 games of a wild card spot, and their momentum seems to be building.
“I think it’s great, man, it shows that we can compete,” Jansen said. “The last two series actually have been very positive, even though we lost the series to the Padres. But you’ve seen the bats come alive. We just have to be better in the bullpen.”
If Jansen keeps pitching like that, the Angels just might have found the late-inning edge they’ve been searching for.
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