Jansen passes Lee Smith for 3rd on MLB's all-time saves list

Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen notched his 479th career save during Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, moving him past Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third on the all-time list.

Jansen now trails only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman in career saves. The 17-year veteran's next milestone will be 500 saves, a mark only Rivera and Hoffman - who are also in Cooperstown - have reached.

"It's awesome. It keeps telling me that it doesn't matter sometimes the adversity that you go through in life," Jansen said, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. "In your baseball career, at some point, you think you're done, but I've always had that fight in me. You just got to keep believing in yourself. Even if you don't that day, you just got to do it.

"When you do that, it doesn't matter what people think about you - or if they think you don't have it anymore. It shows you the consistency. Here I am today, still doing it at a really good level. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of my teammates today for grinding this game out."

A four-time All-Star and two-time league leader in saves, Jansen has been one of the steadiest stoppers of his generation. Since 2012, he's notched at least 25 saves in every season except for the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Jansen has also recorded four 100-strikeout seasons exclusively as a reliever.

Jansen, who has never started any of his 938 big-league appearances, owns a lifetime 2.57 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 931 innings with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Tigers. His 1,284 strikeouts are tied with Craig Kimbrel for fourth all time among relievers, and he's MLB's active leader in games pitched.

The 38-year-old was originally signed out of his native Curaçao by the Dodgers as a catcher in 2004. He spent five seasons in the minors as a backstop before moving to the mound and reaching the majors less than a year after the change. Jansen's 350 saves over his 12 years with the Dodgers are by far the most in the franchise's history.

Jansen has even more potential milestones on tap this season. He's 16 strikeouts away from becoming the fourth reliever to record 1,300 career Ks, and he's 61 appearances shy of 1,000.