Craig Kimbrel worked himself into into a jam Monday night before putting away one of the best hitters of the 21st century. With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Kimbrel fired four consecutive fastballs to Mike Trout. Trout watched all four go by; three were called strikes.
It’s logical that a pitcher ranked seventh on the all time saves list pitches with confidence—nobody racks up 423 saves by accident—but four straight heaters take some guts. In that situation, against that batter, at age 35? Kimbrel didn’t blink.
The Orioles knew they were signing a potential Hall of Famer when they inked Kimbrel to a one-year, $13 million deal in December.