As the Los Angeles Angels faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was an interesting situation involving relief pitcher Kenley Jansen facing off against his former team. While the Angels pitcher in Jansen has been mentioned in trade rumors, he closed the game against the Dodgers, resulting in an 11-9 win, as Jansen speaks about the intentional action he made that involved Shohei Ohtani.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Ohtani was at second base with two outs, with Mookie Betts up to bat as Jansen tried to intentionally balk for the runner to go to third base. The umpires didn't pick up his intention until Jansen pointed it out, as he didn't want Ohtani to pick up “any of the locations,” according to MLB.com.
“I definitely wanted the intentional balk there,” Jansen said. “With Mookie hitting, Shohei at second, I thought it was best for him to be at third. I didn’t want him seeing any of the locations where Logan is sitting. So that was definitely the plan there.”
Kenley Jansen, Intentional Balk Mechanics pic.twitter.com/Dja7e89FtB
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It wasn't the first time Jansen has used this technique, as funny enough, he learned it from Dodgers' field coordinator Bob Geren, who is still with the team.
“I think we mutually agree about that,” Jansen said. “Because I feel like back then [before PitchCom], you just never knew. When we’d play [some] teams, they’d give a lot of locations.”
Kenley Jansen brings the Angels major experience

With injuries to the relievers of the Angels, there is no doubt how important Jansen is to the team, especially with how productive he's been in the majors. Earning his eighth save of the season, he also sports a 5.40 ERA to go along with 12 strikeouts, as his best seasons came with the Dodgers.
He played the first 12 seasons of his career with Los Angeles before short stints with the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox. Speaking to The Orange County Register, Jansen spoke about the motivation he has at 37 years old and the love he has for the Dodgers organization.
“Everyone who thought that I was done was a motivation for me,” Jansen said. “So I have to thank all of them for making me who I am today. Oh, he’s done. He’s washed. At the end of the day, I’m still who I am. And I appreciate them, and I love those doubters. So I’m going to continue to work hard, and I think I have few more years left in the tank, and I want to accomplish great things.”
“I love the Dodgers,” Jansen continued. “I’m happy for them. I’m happy that, even though I wasn’t there last year, if I want to see anyone win the World Series, I want to see them win the World Series, because I know what the Dodgers meant to me in my career.”
As for the Angels, they're currently 19-25 before Sunday's game against the Dodgers.