Red Sox Closer Craig Kimbrel: 'I Do Better In Big Situations'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox have a new man for the ninth inning, and he can't wait to get a feel for Boston baseball.
The Red Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel from San Diego this offseason to lock things down at the end of games, something he did 39 times last season for the Padres. The 27-year-old fireballer has 225 saves under his belt in just six MLB seasons (notching a career-high 50 saves for the Atlanta Braves in 2013), and is anxious to get a taste of what the ninth inning is like in Fenway Park.
"I do better in big situations. I love seeing people in the seats and to hear the crowd getting loud," Kimbrel said this weekend at the Red Sox' spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Florida. "I want the ball at the end of games when things get ratcheted up, and send everyone home happy."
It's that pressure that fuels Kimbrel, and he knows it's just going to be taken up a few notches when representing a team like the Red Sox.
"You know what the organization stands for. It's one of the oldest franchises in the big leagues and has the bar set high for anyone who comes to play in Boston," Kimbrel told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche in a 1-on-1 interview for Sunday's Sports Final. "As a player you should have that expectation to yourself. It's a great atmosphere to be a part of."
New Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski sent four prospects to San Diego this offseason to acquire Kimbrel, filling one of the three voids on the Boston roster Dombrowski set out to plug over the winter (he also got Boston its ace in David Price and a fourth outfielder in Chris Young). With Kimbrel taking over the at the end of games and Carson Smith brought in to set him up, that will put less pressure on Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and other holdovers from the 2015 Boston bullpen, making it a talented and deep bunch.
"I better keep doing what I'm doing or I'm not going to have a job for too long. There are a lot of guys with a lot of talent in the bullpen," said Kimbrel. "Everybody feeds off of each other."
Check out Dan Roche's full 1-on-1 with Kimbrel from Sunday night's Sports Final on WBZ-TV, including the closer's thoughts on the pressure that will come with pitching in Boston! Tune in to Sports Final and Sports Final OT every Sunday night on WBZ-TV at 11:35 p.m.!
