ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – No longer a pitching prodigy, K-Rod still is putting up prodigious numbers.
With 53 saves in 58 chances this year, the Los Angeles Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez needs only four saves to match the major league single-season record set by Bobby Thigpen with the Chicago White Sox in 1990.
And Rodriguez still has a month to do it.
The soft-spoken Angels’ closer acknowledged that breaking the record would be especially meaningful, but added that it certainly isn’t his major goal for the season.
“I think I have the opportunity and I would love to get it done this year. This probably could be one of the last opportunities to do it,” he said, sitting in front of his locker and taking a break from his laptop before a recent game.
“At the same time, I don’t want to sound selfish or like I’m thinking everything is about me. The goal is for us to win a championship.”
John Smoltz, who had 55 saves for Atlanta in 2002, and Eric Gagne, who equaled that for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003, are 2-3 on the all-time list.
Rodriguez, who burst onto the scene as an electric-armed 20-year-old during the Angels’ postseason run to the 2002 World Series title, also may be closing out his career in Anaheim. Nearing the end of his 2008 contract that was his latest in a series of one-year deals, he hasn’t received what he considers a suitable offer from the Angels and plans to test the free agent market.
“It looks like it. I only received one offer from the Angels,” said the Angels’ right-hander, whose 185 saves are the most in the majors over the last four seasons. “I haven’t received another offer (since last winter).
“I’m just going to explore what’s out there. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here. It’s a right that every single player has, and I want to take my right to go out there and see what the market has for me.”
Rodriguez’s 53 saves represent the majority of Los Angeles’ 83 wins this season, and both he and Angels management are not ruling out the possibility that he might remain with the team.
Los Angeles had made several proposals for longer contracts during his time with them, including a reported three-year deal for $34 million last winter. But he has opted to sign for one year each time.
He had sought $12.5 million for this season, but the Angels won the arbitration case and are paying him $10 million. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera got a three-year, $45 million deal last winter, while Minnesota’s Joe Nathan signed a $47 million contract for four years.
Nathan has 36 saves this season, and Rivera had 32 through Sunday.
The 26-year-old Rodriguez essentially has grown up in the Angels’ organization, coming out of poverty in Venezuela a decade ago and rising quickly through the system. He insists he will feel no bitterness toward the Angels, regardless of what happens after this season.
“I really appreciate that this organization gave me the opportunity to sign as a professional baseball player and opened the door for me to be able to be here in the big leagues,’ Rodriguez said. “But in the meantime, it’s a business. I’m not being selfish, it’s just the way it is.”
Scot Shields, the longtime setup man for Rodriguez, selfishly wants him to stay because they comprise one of the best 1-2 punches in the game out of the bullpen. They have pitched in the same game 237 times, the second-highest total for any teammates in history behind Rick Honeycutt and Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley, who collaborated 248 times with the Oakland Athletics.
“Frankie’s having an unbelievable season and it’s fun watching him pitch,” Shields said. “He’s grown so much as a pitcher. He’s not just a guy who throws that nasty curve ball anymore. He spots his fastball well and he’s throwing that changeup, which has got to be one of the best in the game if not the best.
“I’m glad he’s on my side.”
Rodriguez said he hasn’t really changed much from six years ago, when he began the season making the transition from starter to reliever with Double-A Arkansas. He made his major league debut on Sept. 18, then went 5-1 in the postseason, the most wins ever by a reliever, and became the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game with a victory in relief in Game 2.
His dynamic delivery has caused him foot and ankle problems in the past because he would land so hard coming off the mound. His new, smoother delivery apparently has cost him a few mph off the 96-mph pitches he threw constantly, but he said he can still ramp it up when he needs to.
“I’ve worked on my mechanics so I don’t land too hard, and at just trying to get better,” he said. “I want to play this game for many years, so I’ve had to make a little adjustment. I can still use the other delivery.”
He’s polished his changeup and feels comfortable enough to use it in any situation.
“He’s got three tough pitches that he can throw for strikes at any time,” Los Angeles catcher Jeff Mathis said.
Torii Hunter, who came to Los Angeles from Minnesota in the offseason, was 1-for-10 with the Twins when facing Rodriguez, and Hunter said the changeup has made him more effective.
“I call it the equalizer. You can’t sit on the fastball, you can’t sit on the curve,” Hunter said. “You’ve got to work on all three, because he’ll throw that changeup at anybody – lefties, righties, big guys, little guys, doesn’t matter who it is.”
Among Rodriguez’s strengths is his composure and competitiveness.
“He never gets rattled,” Mathis said. “He’s calm, sticks to his guns and gets the job done. If he gives up a hit or a walk, he takes a deep breath and goes after them like nothing happened.”
Mike Scioscia considers Rodriguez well-suited for the role.
“He’s got great short focus. He’s got high energy for the time he’s out there, and I think he’s got a great makeup for a closer,” the Angels’ manager said.
Hunter believes Rodriguez’ demeanor off the field also is an asset.
“You’d never know he was Francisco Rodriguez when you talk to him,” Hunter said. “He’s so laid-back and down to earth. He’s a humble man, to be the type of player that he is.
“Some guys really get caught up in it. Not him.”
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