His path seemed marked with success from the moment he stepped onto a field in Las Mayores; because that year, 2002, Francisco Rodríguez was crowned World Series champion with the surprising Angels of Anaheim.
The Venezuelan was destined to shine in the best baseball in the world and while he still had to pay in terms of the number of titles, many believed that at least a few more rings would have to his credit; Although he didn’t, his mark as closest is recorded in the stat books.
It should be clarified that “El Kid”, as Rodríguez is also known, started his performance as a closer in 2005 and since then he has excelled as one of the best closers in the Big Top, at the time number one. .
Francisco Rodríguez’s big moment would come in 2008, when in the regular season he set a mark of 62 saves.
In this campaign, in particular, on September 13, the brunette achieves her save number 58, then breaking the current number held by Bobby Thigpende, who in 1990 had made 57 saves while playing for the Chicago White Sox.
We’re talking about a pitcher who’s been voted the All-Star Game six times, who’s also been the save leader three times, and who’s won the Lifter of the Year award a few times.
Thirteen years after the feat of “The Kid”, his number of saves continues to seem a pipe dream for new generations of players.
