Finnegan struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and earned a save against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Finnegan retired all three batters he faced to quickly close out the 3-0 victory. He's converted each of his six save chances this season and has thrown 4.2 consecutive scoreless frames. His ERA dropped to 1.17 with an 8:4 K:BB across 7.2 innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Tosses nine pitches for fifth save
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Finnegan earned the save in Friday's 7-4 win over the Marlins, allowing one hit while striking out a batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Finnegan gave up a leadoff double to Otto Lopez, but the 33-year-old closer proceeded to fan Kyle Stowers before logging two straight groundouts to secure the win. Finnegan has registered a save in each of his last five outings, and he's allowed just one run on six hits and four walks while striking out six across 6.2 innings to begin the season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Converts five-out save
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Finnegan picked up the save in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Dodgers, allowing two hits and a walk over 1.2 innings. He struck out two.
Finnegan tossed 32 total pitches to collect his fourth save of the season, tying San Diego's Robert Suarez for the National League lead. The Washington reliever entered in the eighth inning with two runners on, allowing one to score on a Will Smith single, but managed to escape before polishing off the win in the ninth. Finnegan, who re-signed with the Nationals on Feb. 25, is cemented as the team's closer, securing all four save opportunities this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Converts third save
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Finnegan earned the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks, tossing a scoreless ninth inning while allowing one hit and striking out one.
Finnegan was called upon to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth and worked around a Corbin Carroll double to secure his second save in as many days. The closer has now converted all three of his save opportunities this season, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 3:3 K:BB across four innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Escapes with second save
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Finnegan earned the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing one run on one hit and one walk with no strikeouts in the ninth inning.
Finnegan entered with a 4-2 lead but yielded a run and managed only six strikes on 13 pitches. The game ended on a challenged caught-stealing call that was upheld after review, preserving the win. Despite the shaky outing, the 33-year-old has converted both of his save opportunities this season and has given up a run on two hits with a 2:3 K:BB over three innings.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Earns first save
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Finnegan earned the save in a 5-1 win against the Phillies on Sunday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Finnegan was called upon to protect a 5-0 lead with the bases loaded in the ninth inning and retired three straight batters on just five pitches. The 33-year-old finished third in baseball last season with a career-high 38 saves and remains firmly locked in as the Nationals' closer.
Finnegan faced hitters on a back field Friday afternoon, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander didn't re-sign with Washington until late February, putting Finnegan behind the team's other relievers, and Friday was the first time he'd seen game action in any setting this spring. He tossed 22 pitches and worked in the mid-90s with his fastball, suggesting he's close to ready for a Grapefruit League appearance. Finnegan recorded a career-high 38 saves in 2024, and he'll head into Opening Day back in the ninth-inning role for the Nats.
Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Back in Washington on one-year deal
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The Nationals re-signed Finnegan to a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The Nationals non-tendered Finnegan back in late November to avoid giving him a big raise in arbitration, but he has found his way back to the club three months later on a salary similar to the $5.1 million he made in 2024. Finnegan will probably need some time to get back up to speed, but he immediately becomes the favorite for saves in a Washington bullpen lacking established late-inning options. The 33-year-old notched 38 saves last season, although that came with a relatively uninspiring 3.68 ERA and 60:24 K:BB over 63.2 innings.
Finnegan will enter free agency after spending the last five years with the Nationals. He registered a 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB over 63.2 innings in 2024, and Finnegan's 38 saves were a career high and third-most in the majors behind Ryan Helsley and Emmanuel Clase. Coming off his first All-Star appearance, the 33-year-old Finnegan should draw plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high-leverage option to their bullpens.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures 38th save
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Finnegan earned the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Marlins, allowing one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
Finnegan was summoned to close the door for the second day in a row and did so on just 13 pitches. The 33-year-old has converted nine of his past 10 save chances and ranks third in the majors with 38 saves, alongside a 3.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 57:20 K:BB over 60 innings this season.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Notches save Friday
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Finnegan allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and earned a save over the Marlins on Friday.
Finnegan worked around a two-out single by Jesus Sanchez to finish off the 4-1 victory. It was Finnegan's 37th save of the year and his first since recording two during a Sept. 7 doubleheader against the Pirates. He owns a 3.36 ERA with a 56:20 K:BB through 59 innings. Finnegan has converted 14 of his last 15 save chances despite registering a 4.79 ERA during that span (21 appearances).
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Logs pair of saves Saturday
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Finnegan notched a save in each game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Pirates, allowing one run on three hits and a walk in Game 1 and pitching a perfect frame with two strikeouts in Game 2.
Finnegan struggled a bit in the matinee, allowing four of the first five batters he faced to reach base to allow a run to cross the plate and load the bases with one out. He was able to escape the jam, however, by getting Bryan De La Cruz to ground into a game-ending double play. Finnegan tossed 23 pitches in that outing, but that didn't stop Nationals manager Dave Martinez from going to him again with the team up by two runs in the ninth inning of the nightcap. This time Finnegan got the job done with ease, retiring the side in order on 19 pitches. With the pair of saves, Finnegan is up to 36 on the season, third most in the majors.
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Nationals' Kyle Finnegan: Secures another save
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Finnegan earned a save against the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one inning.
Finnegan was called upon in the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead. He started the frame in shaky fashion, allowing a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. However, Finnegan bounced back to retire the next three batters without allowing a run to score. The save was his third in the past four days and his 34th of the season, third most in the majors.
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