Dodgers’ Jansen Judged OK After Brief Heart Scare

Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and for that matter, fans of record-breaking strikeout pitchers -- can breathe easy, at least for now, after Kenley Jansen was cleared to resume his usual spring-training activities. From the Dodgers’ official site:

Last year, Jansen struck out 96 batters in 53-2/3 innings; that works out to 16.1 strikeouts per nine inning, the all-time record for a pitcher with at least 50 innings. Jansen is slated for set-up duties again this season, but he’s obviously got closer written all over him, if he can just stay healthy.

This would be worrisome for anybody -- pitcher, teacher, or plumber -- but considering the strenuous (and adrenaline-filled) nature of Jansen’s job, it’s especially worrisome for a problem like this to occur. Last year, Jansen had this to say about his condition:

“It’s a little frustrating, but I have to take care of my health first because without my health, I couldn’t do anything,” Jansen said. “I really want to be out there pitching, but I can’t do it right now. It’s too dangerous.“With tendon or hamstring issues, it’s understandable to wonder how this will affect a player’s ability to play baseball. With this, it’s first an issue of thinking hoping that the human being in question is all right. Best of luck to Kenley.

Well, not so much:

This happened after Jansen recorded his second save of the season (and needed only seven pitches).

Jansen spent Tuesday night in hospital. He spent Wednesday night in the hospital. His heartbeat didn’t get back on track with medication. So doctors shocked his heart back into its normal rhythm, by forcing Jansen to stare at scary photos of Jamie McCourt for three hours.