Toronto Blue Jays Closer Jordan Romano Moves Up Franchise's Career Saves Leaderboard
Jordan Romano reached 100 career saves by closing out the Toronto Blue Jays' win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday, tying him for 4th in franchise history.
The Toronto Blue Jays once again turned to closer Jordan Romano to secure a win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday, and he once again delivered.
Romano entered the contest in the bottom of the ninth, with the Blue Jays up 5-2. After forcing a flyout and strikeout to open the frame, the right-handed reliever gave up a solo home run to center fielder Kyle Isbel that cut Toronto's lead to two.
Still, Romano shook it off and got another flyout to wrap things up, locking down the win in the process.
It also happened to be the 100th save of Romano's career. As noted by StatsCentre, that ties Romano for fourth on the Blue Jays' all-time leaderboards.
Tom Henke owns the franchise record with 217 saves, while Duane Ward sits in second with 121. It's only a matter of time before Romano passes Roberto Osuna at 104 and Billy Koch at 100, which he matched Monday night.
Romano spent the first few weeks of the 2024 regular season on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He has made four appearances since getting activated on April 16, notching three saves in that time.
Toronto is 4-0 when Romano takes the mound so far this year. He owns a 4.50 ERA and 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings, but a 0.750 WHIP.
Romano made his MLB debut in 2019, at which point he was an irregular member of the Blue Jays' bullpen. He improved his ERA from 7.63 to 1.23 in 2020, but he still only ranked 10th in innings pitched among Toronto relievers.
In 2021, Romano finally took over as the Blue Jays' primary closer. He went 7-1 with a 2.14 ERA, 1.048 WHIP, 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings and 23 saves.
Romano was named an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, recording 36 saves in each season. He boasts a 2.33 ERA, 1.070 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings since the start of 2020, and he ranks third among AL closers with 100 saves in that time.
The Blue Jays and Royals face off again Tuesday night at 7:40 p.m. ET. It remains to be seen if Romano is available again, considering he has made three appearances in the last four days, but he could take sole possession of fourth place on Toronto's career saves list if he does get another opportunity.
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