See the moment an MLB superstar showed up to play Wiffleball in the backyard
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez stops to join a group of children playing a backyard game of Wiffleball in Kansas City, Kansas.
USA Today
The Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday terminated their partnership with nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, designated him for another player and brought back reliever Bryan Baker from the minor leagues.
The move could mean the end of Kimbrel’s incredibly successful 15-year career, during which he pitched for eight different teams.
The right-hander, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Orioles in the offseason, played an outstanding first half and went into the All-Star break with 23 saves and a 2.80 ERA in 35 ⅓ innings.
But since then, the 36-year-old Kimbrel has completely imploded. In 17 innings of the second half, he has allowed 22 hits and 15 walks, posting an ERA of 10.59.
Kimbrel’s situation in Baltimore is eerily similar to what happened last season when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies – when he signed with a team with playoff qualities the previous winter and excelled as a closer for the first half of the season, only to see it all fall apart toward the end of the season.
Kimbrel was a National League All-Star with the Phillies in 2023, but blew several saves in the home stretch, including in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series when he allowed a two-run home run by Arizona’s Alex Thomas in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game and ultimately take the loss.
In 2022, Kimbrel was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ closer for most of the season, but struggled so much in the home stretch that he was not included in the club’s postseason roster.
If this is indeed the end of his career, Kimbrel can look back on a career that could potentially earn him a place in the Hall of Fame. As a member of the Atlanta Braves, he led the National League in saves for four consecutive seasons from 2011 to 2014, and his 440 career saves rank fifth on the all-time list.
Kimbrel has an overall record of 56-47 and a 2.59 ERA over 809 ⅔ innings with the Braves, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Orioles.
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