Kenley Jansen (5-18-25)

DV catches up with the Dodgers All-Time Saves leader. Kenley talks about being the leader of the Angels bullpen, and shares his motivation to keep pitching. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
All Right, we're getting ready for the Dodgers and Angels
Freeway Series. And it's special this time around because you
got Clayton Kershaw and ken Lee Jensen reunited in the
same stadium again, Dodger Stadium. And I'm with the man

(00:21):
that has more saves in Dodger history than any other
pitcher in the franchise's long tenured, storied history. And also
he's got four hundred and fifty four saves, fourth most
in Major League history, and he's going strong ninety seven
heat last night at Dodgers Stadium, the one and only

(00:41):
Kenley Jansen. Kenley, great to see you, and I always
love seeing that smile.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thanks, thanks for having me pass. I mean, it's great
to be back here. And you know, it's always great
to pitch in Dodger Stadium. It's awesome. And yeah, I
try to get here and then try to help my
team win today.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Your team, yeah, the Angels. What's it like being the
veteran the leader of a bullpen considering where you started
and where you're at right now.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
I feel great, man, Definitely feeling great. I'm still going strong.
And you know, like I said, man, learn my teammates,
they're learning me and you know, we giving each other's
advice and helping each other and try to get better.
That's that's what this gave me said about. You know,
like when whatever I learned in the past and the
experience that I have, what I bring, you know, I'm
just gonna, you know, give it back to the guys

(01:26):
who wants.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
To learn it.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
I remember we've talked about this many times back in
twenty twelve when you were becoming the closer that you
eventually became. Ken Howe on the back of the bus
on road trips middle of the night in Pittsburgh would
be trying to teach you how to be not just
a really good picture, but a great leader.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Yeah, that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
You know, it takes a lot of sensitivity out of me.
You know, man, I appreciate that man, God rest his soul.
He was great to me, and you know he was
always hard on me, and I feel like that paid
you know that. You know, everything that I did was earned.
You know, I have to earn it, and you know,
especially getting tough love. You know, it's just giving me

(02:08):
love too.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
So you know, I appreciate him, Clayton Kershaw with his career.
Now he has to pitch differently. How have you evolved?
What's different about ken Lee? The cutter and just the
way you do things?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Still throwing the same cutter, you know, that's the thing.
You know, he is ninety seven, Like, yes, not it
might be like ninety or eighty nine, you know. So
like I say, man, I just got to keep taking
care of my body, stretching, you know, open up my hip.
So you know, whenever my hips are open, you know
you're gonna see the veto pops like that. So definitely
feel great last night, and you know, I just got

(02:41):
to continue to get better during the season.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
You still got it. So at this point of your career,
you've accomplished so much. You obviously have the resume that
many other closers would love to have. What still motivates
you at this stage of your career.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
The things that motivate me, I think is you know,
when you look back kids from kids are growing up,
you know, six years old, playing this game in the backyard.
You know, you know, imagine being the big leagues. And
now I'm in the big league. So I'm not taking
dad lightly. I don't want to take it for granted.
I feel like a few years that sometimes when you're young,

(03:17):
you do stuff and you don't realize, and now you're
a little older now and you appreciate it and realize.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
And that's why make.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Me continue to, you know, keep going strong, because it's
not about the money. It's the love that I have
for this game, and I want to do it for
a little bit longer. I want my kids to see it.
You know, my kids are growing up also seeing whole
hearted dad is working, and I want to set a
sample for them too. So I love this game. So
I'm trying to go at least a few more years here.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Your older kids were just babies when you were pitching
with the Dodgers doing your thing. How much do they
realize now how good their dad is?

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (03:52):
So, I mean, like you said, when I started, none
of them was born, you know, so, and like you said,
they're born here. I wasn't a dougy uniform being a baby.
So now they've grown up watching me and understand the game.
It's freaking awesome, man, So you know, I'm definitely keep
doing it for them also too.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
I know you lost your mom in spring training? How
much do you carry her with you every time you're
out on that now?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Now, No, it's tough sometimes, you know, I mean, you
got to carry your fate. But you know, I believe
in God, you know, knowing that she's in a better
place now, she's not suffering no more. But you know,
sometimes for us here as a human, you know, yeah,
you miss her and it's tough sometimes, but you know
I'm controlling that also, And you know, being around my

(04:38):
teammates helps a lot.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
And being run the game of baseball.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
That again that my mom never miss a game watching
me when I was a kid growing up.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
So I definitely feel great also too to keep doing
this all.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Right, before I let you go, one more baseball question.
Kershaw is still going at this stage of his career.
He wants to keep going. You want to keep going.
Can you envision a where both of you are being
inducted the same year to Cooperstown. How beautiful would that be?
The guy that saved more of Kershaw's wins than anybody
else being there together with him.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Man, that's crazy, you know, that's crazy for me to
think about that right now. You know, it's a great honor.
You know, I think it will be a great honor.
But you know, for me, I still gotta work hard.
I still gotta earn it everything I earned. You know,
I feel like for me, I didn't earn it yet.
So you know that's why I continue to go and

(05:32):
when I throw my last pitch in the game, and
I feel like I earned every bit of you know,
I tried to go to the Hall, So we've gotta
keep working hard for that, all.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Right, Kennlly, thanks a lot for the time, love that
you got, the California love back being with the Angels
and being back at Dodger Stadium certainly brings back so
many great memories with you closing out games.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yes, sir, thank you, Thank you for having me.