What on God’s green earth did I witness Sunday afternoon from Kenley Jansen!? If you missed it, here’s a quick recap of what it looks like when a man takes the mound with the energy of a blitzing Aaron Donald and the ghost of his younger self.
https://twitter.com/DodgersLowDown/status/1381385328766775301?s=20
The first two strikes were a pleasant surprise, but nothing I haven’t seen before this year. The third pitch at 95-MPH to get Washington Nationals outfielder Yadiel Hernandez caught looking for strike three is when I knew that this would be a dominating performance to restore faith in fans. Even if the Nationals sent up the meat of their lineup, they would have been a wet match in a dark cave up against Jansen.
This will do, Kenley. This will do. pic.twitter.com/wwooDDF9hZ
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) April 11, 2021
So what caused this sudden shift? One could argue this was Jansen’s response to the criticism he received from the media and fans after blowing a one-run lead against the A’s this past Wednesday. Was it unfair to point a finger and solely blame him for the loss? Absolutely. The Dodgers went 2-21 with RISP and should have come away with seven runs instead of three.
The blown loss was partially the result of appearing in back-to-back games. The previous night Jansen finished the game with a scoreless ninth when the Dodgers were up 5-1 and had a pretty solid outing. He has enough left in the tank to dominate hitters, but not enough to do it day-in-and-day-out.
Besides throwing a 95-MPH frisbee for the first time in what’s felt like an eternity, the other big news is the changing of his walk-up song. Like Randy Newman’s I Love L.A., you know exactly what time it is when you hear California Love by 2Pac and Dr. Dre. For many years when this song pulsated throughout the stadium in the 9th inning, it had a Pavlovian-effect of knowing that the 6’4 closer from Curacao’s cutter was “as untouchable as Elliot Ness.” But lately, California Love has become the precursor to groans and moans.
Well, as of today, that foot-thumping ballad has been replaced with 2Pac and Snoop Dogg’s, 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted. While California Love finds Pac giving a nostalgic ode to his new hometown, the latter captures his entire me against the world energy in large part caused by an assumption that his former friend Biggie Smalls set him up to get robbed and shot. 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted can now be seen as a snapshot of Pac when he entered complete me against the world mode.
While I don’t think Kenley will transform himself from the gentle giant into an irritable livewire, the song could be a clue about a new fire inside him. As bloggers and fans alike are always looking for a new narrative to chat about, Kenley Jansen served us one on a silver platter during Sunday’s 3-0 win.
When Dodgers Lowdown blogger Matt Weiner isn’t blabbering about the Dodgers, he’s yelling at his TV because of them.