Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano makes history

It may not have been pretty, but in the end, Jordan Romano was able to get the job done for the Toronto Blue Jays.

He ran into trouble immediately, allowing a pair of singles to the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning. A stolen base then put both runners in scoring position, and as the Blue Jays were clinging to a one run lead, disaster appeared imminent. Instead, he struck out the next three batters to preserve the victory.

Jordan Romano pitches way into history books in Toronto Blue Jays victory

That save was Romano’s 30th of the season, marking the first time he had reached that plateau. It also put him in the history books, as Romano became just the fifth player born in Canada to notch a 30 save season in the majors.

This puts Romano in interesting company. Eric Gagne holds the record for the most 30+ save seasons by any pitcher born in Canada, having done so three times. He is also the only Canadian born closer to reach the 50 save plateau. John Axford has a pair of 30+ save seasons, while John Hiller and Ryan Dempster each surpassed that mark once.

It is possible that Romano will reach, or even surpass, Gagne on that list. He is under team control through 2025 and the Blue Jays should be competitive during that time. He has established himself as one of the better closers in the game and, with the Blue Jays bullpen woes, Romano seems entrenched in that role.

Yes, closers are fungible. They can dominate for years and then, suddenly, fall off of a cliff. The true greats are able to handle that role year in and year out, something that Romano still needs to prove. However, he is in a great place to continue making history, at least as far as Canadian born closers are concerned.

It may have been a walk on the tightrope, but Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano notched his 30th save of the season. In doing so, he made history.