Jordan Romano’s season has taken a strange but intriguing turn, and the numbers now put him in a place almost no pitcher has ever been.
The former Blue Jays closer has been sharp since Colorado brought him up and dropped him right into the ninth inning. As of Wednesday morning, Romano owns a 3.12 ERA in nine games with the Rockies and has collected five saves, even after blowing a chance against the Rays on Tuesday night. His fifth save, which came on July 31, moved him ahead of Juan Mejia for the Rockies’ team lead, with Mejia sitting at four.
Here’s where it gets wild: Romano is also still tied for the Angels team lead in saves with Ryan Zeferjahn at four apiece, even though he hasn’t pitched for Los Angeles since a loss to the Royals on April 25. That gives him a shot at becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to lead two different teams in saves in the same season, a rare feat that says as much about the odd shape of the season as it does about Romano’s own work.
His run with the Angels started with promise. The Markham, Ont., native opened the year as their closer and piled up four saves in six scoreless outings over five innings.
Then everything turned fast. He blew back-to-back save chances against the New York Yankees, allowing five runs and recording just one out across those two appearances.
After two scoreless outings in lower-pressure spots, he was hit hard again.
In his last appearance before being designated for assignment, Romano surrendered four runs on three hits in the eighth inning of a 12-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The Angels then released him in late April, closing the book on a stint that ended with a 0-2 record and a 10.13 ERA.
Colorado picked him up on a minor-league deal, and Romano worked his way back through one outing in single-A and nine more in triple-A before the Rockies called him up and immediately handed him the closer job. They even gave him a custom entrance, with flame graphics flashing across the videoboards at Coors Field while Tsunami by DVBBS & Borgeous blasted through the ballpark - the same song Romano used during his Blue Jays days.
Before all of this, Romano had built himself into a Blue Jays success story. Drafted in the 10th round in 2014, he debuted in the majors in 2019 and became a key part of Toronto’s bullpen in 2021. He made the All-Star Game in both 2022 and 2023 before his 2024 struggles set in.
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