Jansen recently made a guest appearance on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast and gave his two cents on how the pitch clock rule has thrown its own curveball at pitchers, who are now expected to quickly adjust to a faster game tempo.

Jansen said:

“You’re learning and adjusting right now, especially when you come out there and you’re not throwing strikes. It can get a little challenging. What would you do if there’s no pitch clock there? You learn how to slow down the game, reset your mind, go back out there and attack the zone. That’s the one thing for me, I’m learning how to adjust to that.”

Jansen speaks about his personal experiences as a closer and how he used to take time to reset in later innings to prevent the game from “speeding up” on him.

Calibrating one’s pitches to the new pitch clock rules isn’t just a mental change, either. It can take a physical toll on pitchers if they’re not pacing themselves correctly.

“People are getting worn out… You’re playing with somebody’s career and basically might blow out. I’m not criticizing, I’m speaking the reality.”

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen briefly raised his arms while walking off the mound Wednesday, just after striking out Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud to end the game. It didn’t look like much of a celebration, but Jansen had just done something only six other pitchers in MLB history did before him: record his 400th career save.

Jansen, 35 and on his third team in three years, was overjoyed by his accomplishment, calling it “a moment I won’t ever forget.” Following the game, he was gifted a bass guitar, and the team played him a celebratory video featuring many of his previous teammates from the Los Angeles Dodgers.