Phillies' Craig Kimbrel Becomes 8th Player Ever to Reach 400 Career Saves

Philadelphia Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel is the eighth pitcher in MLB history with at least 400 career saves.

The eight-time All-Star hit the milestone mark in Friday's 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.

"I'm happy it was here in Atlanta," Kimbrel told reporters about getting the historic save in the city where he spent the first five years of his big league career. "Getting to take it in and enjoy it with them is great."

This marks the second time in two weeks a pitcher has reached the 400-save mark against the Braves. Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen also hit the milestone in a 5-2 win on May 10.

Hall-of-Famers Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601) are the only MLB players with at least 500 career saves.

Lee Smith, who ranks third all-time with 478 career saves, is within reach of both Jansen and Kimbrel if they can pitch at a high level for at least three more years. Francisco Rodriguez (437), John Franco (424) and Billy Wagner (422) are the other relievers with at least 400 saves.

Kimbrel is eight months younger than Jansen, though both are currently in their 14th MLB season. This hasn't been a very good season so far for Kimbrel, despite hitting the historic mark.

The right-hander has a 5.68 ERA in 19 innings over 21 appearances, though he still missing bats with 30 strikeouts. He's been much better lately with one run allowed in his last seven innings after giving up four runs in a 10-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 3.

Kimbrel was originally drafted twice by the Braves. He was first selected in the 33rd round in 2007, but opted to return to school at Wallace State. The move paid off as he wound up being drafted by the team in the third round one year later.

After making his MLB debut in 2010, Kimbrel became Atlanta's full-time closer the following year. He won NL Rookie of the Year in 2011, led the NL in saves in four consecutive years from 2011 to '15 and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times in his first seven full seasons.

Kimbrel won a World Series title in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. He has 1,128 strikeouts in 707.1 innings over 730 appearances in his career.