Father Time is said to be undefeated, but he won’t go down without a fight.
Fernando Rodney isn’t hanging up his cleats just yet. Not after 17 big-league seasons and not after blowing out 46 candles on his last birthday cake.
The veteran pitcher says he won’t quit until the big 5-0.
“I’m trying to get to 50,” Rodney told The Athletic’s Sam Blum.“That’s my guess right now. I still touch 95, 94, 93, 92 when I want. I think there can be three more years.
“I want to reach there, then see how I feel.”
Rodney earned three All-Star selections across his long career and boasts a 3.80 ERA with 943 strikeouts and 327 saves across 933 innings and 11 teams.
At the age of 35 in 2012, he was in Cy Young and MVP talks when he finished the season with a 0.60 ERA and 76 K’s in 74 2/3 innings.
In addition to those numbers, he also was known for his shooting arrow move:
We know one thing for certain. His confidence hasn’t wavered.
“I don’t know what they think, but they closed the door for a lot of good players,” Rodney said. “I feel like I can pitch in the big leagues because I throw strikes and get outs. My fastball and my changeup has been good.”
… but he knows there’s a chance it doesn’t happen.
“There’s a 99 percent chance it’s not going to be,” Rodney said. “There’s no guarantee it’s going to happen.”
