K-Rod joins exclusive 400-save club
Detroit Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to notch 400 career saves after securing the final three outs in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rodriguez allowed a run and two hits in the ninth but recovered to strike out Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz for his 14th save in 15 chances this year. His milestone save backed a strong performance from Justin Verlander, who struck out 10 over eight innings to help Detroit to its fourth straight win.
K-Rod, the active leader in saves, joins Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601), Lee Smith (478), John Franco (424), and Billy Wagner (422) as the only relievers in baseball history to reach the elusive mark. At the very least, the 34-year-old right-hander has a good shot of passing Franco and Wagner, and he indicated after the game he'll probably be around long enough to do so.
"I'm not planning to stop, either," Rodriguez told Matthew Mowery of The Oakland Press. "I'm going to continue to keep working hard, keep collecting it, take a look back when the desire to hang my spikes up (hits)."
Signed by the Angels as an amateur free agent in 1999, Rodriguez has closed games for five teams during his 15-year career. He set the single-season record for saves with 62 during his final year with the Angels, and has collected at least 23 saves in nine other seasons. A six-time All-Star, Rodriguez has finished the 15th most games in MLB history (620), and owns an impressive 2.70 ERA and 10.7 K/9 rate over 877 career appearances.
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)