Kenta Maeda is stepping up for the Los Angeles Dodgers as their closer while Kenley Jansen is out, but he certainly knows how big those shoes are to fill.
Maeda recorded the final two outs of the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday for his second save of the season. The 30-year-old pitcher, who has worked as both a starter and reliever this season, has been pitching out of the bullpen since Jansen experienced an irregular heartbeat.
When asked after Friday’s win whether he felt like Jansen after saving a game for the Dodgers, Maeda gave a nice nod to the three-time All-Star.
#Dodgers Kenta Maeda on whether he feels like Kenley Jansen now, closing out the win: "No, I don't look like him and I don't throw like him either."
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 8, 2018
Jansen has some of the best stuff in the game and has been nearly unhittable the past two seasons. And though not everything has gone his way this year, he’s still a top reliever, and it’s nice that Maeda is keeping that in mind.
