Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen entered uncharted waters during the 2016 postseason as he was asked to pitch multiple innings on a few occasions. No more was Jansen pressed out of his comfort zone than against the Washington Nationals in winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
Jansen entered in the seventh inning at Nationals Park and turned in 2.1 scoreless innings. The performance motivated Clayton Kershaw to pitch on two days’ rest to earn his first career save and send the Dodgers to the NL Championship Series.
While it came in a losing effort and elimination game, Jansen threw a career-high three innings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Game 6 of the NLCS.