Francisco Rodríguez (Venezuelan pitcher)

Francisco José Rodríguez Sr. (born January 7, 1982), nicknamed "Frankie" and "K-Rod", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers.

This article is about the pitcher from Venezuela. For the pitcher from Mexico, see Francisco Rodríguez (Mexican pitcher).
"Krod" redirects here. For other uses, see Krod (disambiguation).
Francisco Rodríguez
Rodríguez with the Baltimore Orioles in 2013
Pitcher
Born: (1982-01-07) January 7, 1982
Caracas, Venezuela
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 18, 2002, for the Anaheim Angels
Last MLB appearance
June 22, 2017, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record52–53
Earned run average2.86
Strikeouts1,142
Saves437
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • 6× All-Star (2004, 2007–2009, 2014, 2015)
  • World Series champion (2002)
  • 2× AL Rolaids Relief Man Award (2006, 2008)
  • 3× AL saves leader (2005, 2006, 2008)
  • MLB record 62 saves, single season
  • Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor

Rodriguez pitched for the Angels from 2002 to 2008, and the Mets from 2009 to midway through the 2011 season. He served as the closer for both teams. Rodriguez then pitched for the Brewers until July 2013, mostly in a setup role, and for the Orioles for the rest of 2013 before returning to the Brewers for 2014 and 2015, this time as the team's closer. He was then traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2016, and became the Tigers' closer.

In his rookie season, Rodríguez tied Randy Johnson for the record for most victories in a single postseason, recording five wins en route to the Angels winning the World Series; Stephen Strasburg (2019) and Nathan Eovaldi (2023) later accomplished this feat as well. Rodríguez holds the major league record for saves in a single season, with 62, set in 2008 while pitching for the Angels. He is a three-time league leader in saves (2005, 2006, and 2008) and a six-time All-Star. Rodríguez is one of only eight Major League pitchers to accumulate a total of 400 or more saves in his baseball career.

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