Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen made his fourth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
The save was the 424th in Jansen's 15-year MLB career, moving him into a tie for fifth all-time with John Franco.
But in the clubhouse after the game, Jansen didn't want to talk about his career accomplishments or about striking out Mike Trout in the game's final out. His primary concern was the current state of the baseball he and his friends were playing.
“I don't know. I just hope we get a better, higher quality ball. That's all I'm saying. It's embarrassing,” he told reporters, including WEEI's Rob Bradford. told.
“Of course, pitchers can't use anything illegal. Great, I agree,” he added. “But rub the ball. I know they're trying to favor batters more right now to create offense. We all know that. You can't choose anymore. You have to pitch according to the pitch clock. Hmm. Everybody knows. But, give me a good ball, a quality ball to throw strikes, that's all I'm looking for. ”
Jansen seemed to be struggling with control, walking 11 of his 25 pitches. He put the first three Angels batters he faced on base, allowing a hit to Logan Ohoppe, a hit single to Mickey Moniak, and a walk to Zach Neto.
“When you play in windy, cold weather, you're going to end up with some pearls that aren't rubbed well,” Jansen told MassLive's Sean McAdam. I don't often let people walk.
“I started getting frustrated and angry and at a certain point I just didn't care anymore. No matter what ball came at me, I just threw it back until I found a good ball. It's really cruel.”
Jansen's complaint is the second public complaint regarding the state of MLB baseball this season. Earlier this month, Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks criticized the quality of the ball after he walked three consecutive batters in a 10-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
Pete Fairbanks wasn't too happy with the consistency of the baseball in the bottom of the ninth inning. pic.twitter.com/5OHAyCVtq0
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) April 5, 2024
“They weren't even from ball to ball. It was terrible,” Fairbanks told Patrick Sanders of the Denver Post. “Mark that in all caps for me. It's awful.”
The baseball used at Colorado's Coors Field has been stored in a humidor since 2002 to prevent it from drying out at Denver's high altitude. Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt responded to Fairbanks' complaints by saying that MLB oversees baseball, not teams.
Jansen said his Red Sox teammates have similar complaints but have not expressed them publicly.
“I feel like the league can do better, that's all I'm saying,” Jansen said, via NESN's Sean T. McGuire. “Scrub the ball well. It's the worst. I don't want to be the guy who keeps throwing the ball. I have a unique pitch and it's a cutter. And if the ball feels like a pearl, then I You don't have to do anything, grab your rosin bag, it's not like before, that's all I'm saying. ”