Craig Kimbrel made history in the Bronx last night, but at what cost? He became the first pitcher in major league history to record five strikeouts in a four-out save situation with a 99 mph fastball that blew away Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Kimbrel has now given the Red Sox 17 saves this season, with a ridiculous 53 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched. However, he’s been called upon to log multiple innings in five of those 17 situations.
There’s a case to be made for nominating Kimbrel as the team’s MVP a trimester of the way through the season.