There is a shortlist of athletes that I can count on to always deliver. Kenley Jansen is on that shortlist. Therefore, it was doubly distressing to see Jansen blow a save against the Giants at AT&T Park.
The day was June 11 and it was a Saturday. I remember this vividly because I attended the game with my wife. Our friends who are Giants’ fans, thought it would be great to go to a game while the Dodgers were in town. The tickets were purchased months in advance and we looked forward to a great match up.
If there was a better day for a sporting event, I have yet to witness it. It was a bright and sunny day with enough of a breeze to keep things cool. We parked the car near Fisherman’s Wharf and walked to the ballpark where we met up with our friends. There was a large contingent of Dodger fans and it was jarring to see as much blue as there was orange in the crowd.
The game itself was a good one. Scott Kazmir was on the mound for the Dodgers and he gave up two runs in the first inning. He then held the Giants scoreless through the 5th inning. The Dodgers scratched out a run in the 2nd inning and another in the 5th inning to tie the game. The Giants responded by getting a run in the bottom of the 6th and the Dodgers knotted things up once again in the 7th inning.
The score remained at 3-3 until the 10th inning when things became interesting. Adrian Gonzalez sparked the drama by hitting a home run off Giants’ relief pitcher Chris Stratton. The game then went to the bottom of the 10th where I believed that the Dodgers would win because Kenley Jansen would close things out. Instead, Kenley gave up 4 hits and 2 runs and the Giants walked off with a 5-4 lead.
It is hard to know how to react when your belief system gets attacked. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Kenley Jansen wasn’t supposed to blow a save against the Dodgers’ biggest rivals in hostile territory but that was exactly what happened. Then again, blown saves do happen and they happen to everyone because no matter how good a relief pitcher is, he is only human.
There is a shortlist of athletes that I can count on to always deliver. Kenley Jansen is on that shortlist.
The Reluctant Fan 