Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Kawakami's first save!


With Lowe's early exit, the Braves called upon Kenshin Kawakami to take the ball the rest of the way. In doing so, the Japanese right-hander became the first Braves pitcher since Mark Grant in 1990 to record a four-inning save.
Surprisingly, that's all I could find on Braves.com about KK's feat. I think it's a big deal! It's certainly as rare as someone hitting for the cycle -- heck, we've even had a perfect game thrown in the organization since someone last recorded a four-inning save. The AJC didn't offer much either:
Lowe (15-9) gave up three runs and six hits in five innings and Kenshin Kawakami pitched four scoreless innings of one-hit ball for his first major league save.

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Kawakami notched the first four-inning save by a Brave since Mark Grant in 1990 at San Francisco. Kawakami, a 34-year-old major league rookie starter, last recorded a save in 1999 for his longtime Japanese team, Chunichi.
Let's give kudos where they're due -- congratulations, Kenshin! Thank you for keeping us in the game! Love, Braves fans everywhere

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To all of you in metro-Atlanta (and beyond) who are affected by the floods, my thoughts are with you. My parents' county has sustained the most damage so far in the area, but they're fine. I'm also fine, and hoping the waters will subside soon.

5 comments:

Jessica said...

That really was a job well done by KK. Seeing him pitch so well after being sent to the bullpen for Hudson and knowing he can do impersonations has endeared him to Braves fans everywhere! I don't envy the off-season decisions Frank Wren has to make.

ps - Thinking about everyone affected by the flooding. Our hearts go out to you!

CABravesFan said...

Major props to KK! He looked great last night :)

I'd also like to add my thoughts to everyone dealing with the flooding...hope you all stay safe and as dry as possible!

amanda said...

What is Chipper doing in that pic?

We got a short word about the rookie hazing, Big and Little had to wear speedos and walk thru the hotel lobby and KK and his interpreter dressed as ninjas to go thru the airports from ATL to NY. Yawn. No wonder we didn't get pics!

Glad you are okay and hope your parents have good insurance!

Lauren T. said...

Thanks for the rookie hazing info, Amanda -- I will quote you in a separate post, since people have been searching for more info and comments don't always show up in search results. :)

Stacey Farr said...

It looks like Chipper is giving him a game ball?

Thanks for the update on you and your family. I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw some pictures last night. Hope the waters recede soon.