News about Kenley Jansen

We've arrived halfway through the 2023 Major League Baseball season, and the old rules haven't been followed. The Cardinals and Padres are a mess, the Marlins and Orioles are raging into the playoffs, and anyone who made a pre-season forecast of the Mets or Yankees is rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Two and a half months remain for teams to sort themselves out for the pennant chase, and as the regular season hits pause and MLB heads to Seattle for the All-Star Break, Mail Sport grades all 30 teams on their 2023 campaign so far:

As New York's air quality index reaches a 185 rating due to smoke overtaking the sky as a result of Canadian wildfires, the Yankees took the field in potentially volatile weather. On Tuesday, thick smoke from the north descended on New York City, with an orange glow hanging above the iconic skyline, covering the Statue of Liberty's famed monuments. The Bronx was no exception, as the sky over Yankee Stadium glowed a mix of orange and dark grey.

Liam Hendricks returned to the majors after winning the White Sox's bizarre victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Yoán Moncada scampered home on a 10th-inning wild pitch that knocked out umpire Cory Blaser, bringing the Chicago White Sox to a 2-1 victory. Hendriks pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning in his second game of the season after recovering from stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In the ninth inning of Saturday night's game against the Boston Red Sox, Orioles outfielder Ryan McKenna dropped a quick, two-out fly, costing his team's victory. Masataka Yoshida's hit sailed to the middle of Fenway Park's deep left field, and McKenna strode slowly to his right, eager to make the grab for the final out of the game. The ball bounced off the palm of the 26-year-old's glove and crashed to the ground when it collided with the ground. The home crowd erupted in applause.

Although Boston's star shortstop Xander Bogaerts is now a free agent, the Red Sox filled another need on Wednesday by reportedly reaching an understanding with closer Kenley Jansen on a two-year, $32 million contract. While with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2010 to 2021, the 35-year-old right-handed reliever was rated as one of the game's best closers. He signed a one-year, $16 million deal with the Atlanta Braves before last season, leading the National League with 41 saves. His 391 career saves rank eighth in the league, which is good news for a bullpen that had a dismal 4.59 ERA last season, his fifth worst in baseball.

Kyle Wright pitched six scoreless innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Wednesday, ending their National League Division Series at a game apiece. Wright (1-0), who went 21-5 in the regular season, allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out six runs. He threw 83 pitches, 52 of them for strikes. It was his eighth scoreless start of the year. A three-hitter was blocked from the Braves' bullpen. A.J Minter pitched a perfect seventh, Raisel Iglesias scored in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen retired the team in order to earn a save in the ninth.