It was an electric time, perhaps even the most electric time in Dodger Stadium history. It wasn’t Steve Finley’s incredible bottom of the ninth inning walk-off grand slam that turned a 3-0 deficit into a division-clinching 7-3 win over the hated Giants on the second-to-last game of the 2004 season. It wasn’t Manny Ramirez’s incredible pinch-hit grand slam home run into Mannywood on July 22, 2009 that turned a 2-2 tie with the Cincinnati Reds into a 6-2 Dodgers win on his bobblehead night that sent the crowd into a frenzy lasting more than 10 minutes. Heck, it wasn’t even Kirk Gibson’s epic improbable and impossible home run in Game-1 of the 1988 World Series, often considered the greatest home run of all time. Oh sure, all three of these are among the single-greatest moments in Dodger Stadium history, but they were single moments – one and done.

No, the most electric time at Dodger Stadium lasted nearly two years. It was, of course, Eric Gagne’s consecutive saves streak that began on August 26, 2002 and ended on July 5, 2004, when he converted every save opportunity – all 84 of them, including the entire 2003 season – without a blown save. And while there may be some who claim that saves are an overrated statistic, the simple truth is that Gagne’s consecutive saves record will most likely never be broken.

…or will it?

Although saves didn’t became an official MLB statistic until 1969, it is one that is enamored by baseball fans far and wide. And while most major league games usually run in the three-hour range, it’s those final three outs in the last inning of play to secure a win that are – hands down – the most exciting of every game. It goes without saying that a save situation is arguably the single-most high-pressure situation that a major leaguer will ever face, but they also take years off the lives of passionate baseball fans.

Many longtime Dodger fans say that the electricity in Dodger Stadium when Gagne entered a game during his 84-consecutive saves streak has never been matched. (Photo credit – Stephen Dunn)

Per MLB rule 10.19, the following criteria must be met in order for a pitcher to be credited with a save:

(a) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team;
(b) He is not the winning pitcher;
(c) He is credited with at least a third of an inning pitched; and
(d) He satisfies one of the following conditions:

(1) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning;
(2) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batters he faces); or
(3) He pitches for at least three innings.

(Note: If a relief pitcher satisfies all of the criteria for a save but does not finish the game, he is credited with a hold, which is not an officially recognized statistic by Major League Baseball).

Not surprising, the Dodgers were involved in the very first save ever recorded. It occurred on April 7, 1969 – Opening Day – when Dodgers right-hander Bill Singer pitched three shutout innings in relief of Dodgers legend Don Drysdale to secure a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. As every Dodger fan know, 1969 was Drysdale’s 14th and final season in the big leagues, for which he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

But back to Eric Gagne.

On June 6, 2006, after missing nearly all of the 2005 season recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, the then 30-year-old Montreal, Canada native recorded his final save in a Dodger uniform. It was his 161st save as a Dodger and extended his franchise record over right-hander Jeff Shaw’s previous franchise record of 129 saves.

The Dodgers declined Gagne’s option for the 2007 season, thus making him a free agent. He would go on to collect 26 additional saves  – 16 with the Texas Rangers and 10 with the Milwaukee Brewers – but he was released by the Brewers during spring training 2008. After an unsuccessful attempt to resurrect his career with the Dodgers during spring training 2010, he officially retired from the game after 10 major league seasons.

Enter Kenley Jansen.

After being signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent as a catcher in 2004, Jansen was converted to a relief pitcher while at Advanced Single-A Inland Empire in 2009. The Willemstad, Curacao native made his MLB debut as a pitcher on July 24, 2010 as a 22-year-old and it became very apparent very quickly that he was destined for greatness. In fact, he recorded his first major league save as a Dodger one day later when he preserved Clayton Kershaw’s 1-0 lead over the New York Mets in front of 39,897 at Dodger Stadium.

On August 16, 2015, Jansen recorded his 130th save as a Dodger to preserve Zack Greinke’s 2-1 lead over the Reds at Dodger Stadium to pass Jeff Shaw and become number two on the Dodgers all-time saves list. Ironically, Jansen would blow a save seven days later on August 23, 2015 – only his second blown save of the season.

He hasn’t blown one since.

Jansen began the 2016 season with 142 career saves, only 19 behind Gagne’s record of 161, and on Thursday afternoon he converted his seventh consecutive save of the season to become the (early) 2016 MLB saves leader. Dating back to August 26, 2015, Jansen has now converted every one of his 19 save opportunities. And while 19 is a far cry from 84, Jansen is almost a quarter of the way there.

The question is not will Jansen break Eric Gagne’s franchise saves record of 161, the question is by how many? (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Jansen now trails Gagne by 12 saves for most in franchise history and will most likely catch and surpass the 2003 NL Cy Young award winner sometime around the All-Star break – if not sooner. And while the electricity at Dodger Stadium may not be the same as it was when the popular Guns N’ Roses song Welcome to the Jungle blared out as the bullpen gate swung open during Gagne’s historic streak, you can bet that there will be a lot of electricity in the air when Tupac Shakur’s California Love is played when Jansen enters the game for his 162nd career save.