Prior to Sunday’s exciting 10-inning 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen had appeared in three games, during which he had an 0-1 record, a blown save, a 12.00 ERA and had given up two home runs; something that he did only five times in the 65 games in which he appeared all of last season – back when his signature (and unhittable) cut fastball frequently topped the 94-MPH mark.

Not so in his first three appearances this season, when his cutter maybe maxed out at 92 MPH three times … if that.

Things got so bad for the extremely popular Willemstad, Curaçao native and the man often referred to as the best closer in the game today, that many began to suspect that the hard-throwing 6′-5″ / 275-pound right-hander, whose entrance song is ‘California Love‘ by 2Pac, was injured; a claim that he repeatedly – and adamantly – denied.

Jansen did, however, finally admit that he was having some “mechanical issues” that were believed to be related to hamstring tightness that he experienced shortly after pitchers and catchers reported for spring training on March 13; a condition that caused Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to “slow-play it” with their star closer throughout the spring.

“When I was sprinting from left field to center field, it grabbed me a little bit and I stopped running, and I know something was wrong,” Jansen later told reporters. “[After] my last sprint, I went to the mound to see if I would feel it, and I felt it. There’s no reason for me to throw that day after I felt a little bit. It’s Spring Training, I backed off.”

Backed off indeed.

Over the next five weeks, Jansen appeared in only five spring training games, pitched a total of 4.2 innings, faced a total of 15 batters, and made a total of 42 pitches.

The Dodgers intentionally limited Jansen’s innings during spring training to save the wear and tear on his arm and allow him to pitch deeper into the season and (hopefully) the postseason.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

That’s the bad news. The good news is that of those 15 batters faced, Jansen allowed no runs and only one hit, while walking none and striking out six, giving everyone every indication that he was perfectly healthy and was the same Kenley Jansen that the Dodgers had signed to a huge five-year / $80 million free agent contract extension on January 10, 2017 … at least until his rocky start through his first three appearances this season.

Lo and behold, and as if to rub it in the noses of naysayers, the same Kenley Jansen that we have come to know and love absolutely stuck it the that hated Giants in front of a sold out AT&T Park crowd of 42,374 on Sunday afternoon.

Even though Jansen allowed a one-out single to longtime Dodgers nemesis Hunter Pence, who immediately stole second base off the notoriously slow-to-the plate Dodgers closer, all Jansen did was strikeout the side to end the inning and save the game, with nine of the 17 cutters that he threw exceeding 92 MPH and three exceeding 93 MPH.

Although Giants pinch-hitter Brandon Belt may have thought that Jansen’s 91.3 MPH cutter for a called strike three to end the game on Sunday was out of the strike zone, home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman did not.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

In doing so, Jansen picked up his first save of the new season and secured the win for right-handed reliever Josh Fields, thanks to a dramatic RBI double by back-up catcher / utility infielder Kyle Farmer in the top half of the 10th inning.

He’s baaaack!”

Although it is obvious that Jansen still needs to build himself up after his abbreviated spring, and with his cutter still well below the 94 MPH that we are accustomed to seeing, it’s safe to say that his familiar dominating performance on Sunday afternoon was a huge boost to his – and his teams’ – confidence.

…not to mention for every Dodger fan on the planet.

Welcome back, Kenley!