ATLANTA — Craig Kimbrel had a feeling Friday would be a special night, so he invited about 30 to 40 family members and friends from Alabama to come watch him reach a rare milestone.
The hard-throwing closer became the eighth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to earn 400 saves as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 to open a four-game series between the National League East Division rivals.
“I’m happy it was here in Atlanta,” said Kimbrel, who began his MLB career with the Braves. “I am happy the majority of my family was here to see it. Getting to take it in and enjoy it with them is great.”
Making his 730th career appearance, the 34-year-old right-hander worked a scoreless ninth inning to get his sixth save in as many chances this season. Of the seven previous relievers to reach 400 saves, only Mariano Rivera (697 games), Trevor Hoffman (706) and Kenley Jansen (778) hit the threshold in fewer than 800 appearances.
Kimbrel, the 2011 NL rookie of the year, played his first five seasons in Atlanta, was a four-time All-Star with the Braves and still holds the franchise record with 186 saves. This is his first season with Philadelphia. Over his past 15 games since April 16, Kimbrel has faced 54 batters and has 26 strikeouts in 14 innings, but he has struggled at times this year with a 5.68 ERA.