Craig Kimbrel, after so much, is right where he wants to be — with it all on the line (2024)

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PHOENIX — To Craig Kimbrel, a pitcher with a resume that includes 417 career saves and nine All-Star Game appearances, the moments are all that matter. He has accomplished more or less everything a player can accomplish in baseball. He set the standard for relief excellence in the 2010s. He has won a World Series and made more than $123 million. Only seven pitchers have saved more games than him, and he will probably pass three of them if he returns in 2024. When his career ends, he will merit consideration for the Hall of Fame.

And yet there he stood, in the middle of the Citizens Bank Park diamond in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against Arizona earlier this week, his cheeks nearly as red as his Phillies cap. Kimbrel required a visit from catcher J.T. Realmuto, who reminded him to find the proper alignment in his delivery, before delivering the fastballs that short-circuited a Diamondbacks comeback and pushed the Phillies one victory closer to another pennant. Kimbrel would have it no other way.

“The big moments — they’re not moments that are overwhelming,” Kimbrel said before the Phillies worked out Wednesday at Chase Field in preparation for Game 3 on Thursday. “They’re the moments that bring me back every single year, because those are the moments that I want to be in. It’s the funnest part about this game.”

Kimbrel, 35, figures to experience a bit more excitement in the coming weeks. He has not permitted a run in four postseason appearances this October. His arrival in Philadelphia this season aided the bullpen and provided manager Rob Thomson with a battle-tested veteran to complement his high-leverage duo of left-hander José Alvarado and right-hander Seranthony Domínguez. Kimbrel overcame early-season hiccups and a late-season slide to stabilize in time for the postseason.

His revival followed the embarrassment of last autumn, when the Dodgers left Kimbrel off the postseason roster before losing in the National League Division Series. Kimbrel had spent most of the season as the team’s closer. But his imprecise command, combined with a plethora of other bullpen options, meant he could only watch as the Padres bounced the 111-win Dodgers in a four-game shocker.

“That was a tough pill to swallow last year,” Kimbrel said. “Having my ups and downs, at times throwing the ball well, and at times looking like I shouldn’t even be out there or have a jersey on. So it definitely stunk. I pitch to be in these moments, to help teams finish games off and finish off meaningful games. And to not get that opportunity last year definitely stung.”

The previous few seasons had not treated Kimbrel well. He struggled after the Cubs signed him to a three-year, $43 million contract in June 2019. He combusted when the team traded him across town to the White Sox in 2021, who still picked up his $16 million option for the following year. Seeking a replacement for Kenley Jansen the next spring, the Dodgers took on the final year of Kimbrel’s contract. He lost the closer’s job in September before the postseason snub.

His apparent decline did not deter Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who already knew the right-hander from their time together with the Red Sox, from extending Kimbrel a one-year, $10 million deal in January. A few weeks later, before the club reported to spring training, pitching coach Caleb Cotham watched Kimbrel throw at a facility in their mutual hometown of Nashville. Cotham had studied video of Kimbrel’s season in 2022 and contrasted it with video from Kimbrel’s years in Boston from 2016 to 2018. He noticed little deviations that could be corrected, small tweaks like unifying Kimbrel’s setup before he pitched and his first movements toward the plate.

For years, ever since his debut with Atlanta in 2010, Kimbrel had compiled preposterous strikeout rates by pairing a high-octane fastball with a wicked curveball. Those pitches have remained effective, even as his velocity has dimmed. Cotham learned part of his job would require reminding Kimbrel to trust his arsenal and not over-think its deployment.

“There’s a lot of attention to detail, and I think that’s why he’s done what he’s done for as long as he has,” Cotham said. “But it’s also, maybe, at times, where it can snowball, where it’s like so eternal. Some of it’s like, ‘Hey, man, you’re really nasty. You don’t have to dissect the delivery when you’re out there.’”

As the postseason approached, Kimbrel opted to speed up his tempo, ever so slightly, in deference to the pitch clock and to prevent himself from perseverating in between pitches. He has given up only one hit in his four October outings, although his fastball command has been inexact. “It’s a little mechanical thing he’s going through right now,” Thomson said. “He’s just yanking his fastball. So he’s got to get his alignment correct and just (power) the ball through the zone.”

Kimbrel found the alignment in time to escape in Game 1 of the NLCS. The Phillies didn’t need him in Game 2. But for his team to collect the six additional victories for a championship, Kimbrel will need to be ready. He will need to be, in other words, exactly where he wants to be.

“It’s fun to be able to compete,” Kimbrel said. “I’ve been blessed and gifted with an ability, and in being able to use it for a while now. And to still have it and to still be able to go out there and compete at the highest level and have fun doing it, there’s no reason not to come back and keep on playing.”

(Top photo: Elsa / Getty Images)

Andy McCullough is a senior writer for The Athletic covering MLB. He previously covered baseball at the Los Angeles Times, the Kansas City Star and The Star-Ledger. A graduate of Syracuse University, he grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Follow Andy on Twitter @ByMcCullough