Finnegan won't soon forget hectic, thrilling, successful week

Forgive Kyle Finnegan if he has trouble remembering what day it currently is, or where he’s been over the last week.

A quick refresher course, then. On Sunday, Finnegan was with the Nationals in Milwaukee, having just pitched three straight days. On Monday, he and his family were in Hershey, Pa., enjoying their All-Star break at an amusement park. Until he got the call from Nats general manager Mike Rizzo he had just been selected as a last-minute addition to the National League’s All-Star team.

So on Tuesday, the Finnegan family surprisingly found itself in Arlington, Texas, getting the full All-Star experience (even though he didn’t pitch in the game). Wednesday and Thursday finally offered an opportunity to rest up a bit. But then Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Finnegan found himself on the mound at Nationals Park, recording the final out in three consecutive victories over the Reds to cap off a wild week.

“A lot has happened,” he said. “It’s been exciting. It’s been a little hectic. But I was talking to my wife: The experience we’ve been able to have with our family over these last four or five days has been really special. That’s the beautiful part about this game and what it can bring into your life.”

Finnegan wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. Though he was the only one of 12 pitchers on the active NL All-Star roster who didn’t appear in the game, he otherwise got to partake in everything the Midsummer Classic had to offer. (Oh, and by the way, had the NL rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the top of the ninth, he would’ve been the one closing out the game in the bottom of the inning.)

In retrospect, maybe it was better he wasn’t needed Tuesday night in Texas. Because that may have helped him be available for all three games of the Nationals’ weekend sweep of the Reds.

Finnegan was needed for 14 pitches to close out Friday night’s 8-5 win. Then he was needed for 15 pitches to close out Saturday night’s 5-4 win. And then he was needed for only five pitches to retire the side and close out Sunday afternoon’s 5-2 win.

“It’s incredible,” said right-hander Jake Irvin, who put his team in position to win Sunday with seven innings of two-run ball. “And I know he just went through an absolute whirlwind over the break. It says a lot about his character, the kind of person he is, the kind of teammate he is. To be able to do that, after the week he had, it’s very special.”

In Finnegan’s mind, it’s just part of the job. The 32-year-old takes great pride in simply being available to pitch whenever needed, and he’s been a remarkable model of consistency in that regard. As a rookie in 2020, he appeared in 25 of the Nationals’ 60 games, which equals 41.7 percent. The next three years, he pitched in 68, 66 and 67 games, which equals 42 percent, 40.7 percent and 41.4 percent. And now this year, he has pitched in 44 of the team’s first 100 games, notching the save in 28 of those.

Oh, and he has now pitched three straight days three different times this month alone. In only one of those nine games did he surrender a hit.

“It’s just listening to your body,” he said. “You’re not always going to pitch feeling 100 percent. And as you move along in your career, you start to learn today’s a day that I don’t feel great, but I think I can go and have success.”

It all sounds simple enough, but it really isn’t. It’s one thing to keep your body and arm healthy enough to pitch on such a regular basis. It’s quite another to be so successful doing it, all while pitching in the highest-leverage situation possible.

Finnegan doesn’t just rank second in the majors with 28 saves. He ranks second in the majors (to the Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley) with 14 flawless saves in which no batters reached base against him.

“He’s been amazing,” manager Davey Martinez said. “From the first time we got him to now, so much growth and maturity and confidence. He’s got confidence now. He knows he can go out there and close out games. And it takes a lot.

“We’ve tried many guys. It’s a different feeling when you’re out there trying to finish a game. He’s got it. He’s done really well. When we get to the ninth inning and he’s available to pitch, I feel really good that we’ve got a chance to win that game.”

Finnegan won’t soon forget what he experienced over the last week, from that unexpected phone call from Rizzo to the mad scramble to get himself and 16 family members to the Dallas area in less than 24 hours to the return to D.C. that concluded with three straight saves.

Perhaps he’ll finally have a chance to catch his breath and re-live it all today, with the Nats enjoying an off-day before they get back to work Tuesday night against the Padres.

Then again, maybe there’s one place Finnegan would rather be today than his living room sofa: The mound at Nationals Park, with the home team holding a slim lead in the top of the ninth.

“You know … I feel fine right now. I feel good,” he said Sunday afternoon. “I wish we had another game tomorrow, because we’ve got some momentum right now. Maybe get a fourth one.”