Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles.

[1] He attended Lee High School in Huntsville, Alabama, where he played baseball and was a quarterback for the football team.

While at Wallace State in 2007, Kimbrel had an 8–0 win–loss record with a 1.99 earned run average (ERA) as a freshman in 2007, serving as the team's closer and a spot starter.

[7] In the 2010 NLDS, he was the losing pitcher in Game 3 against the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

On June 3, 2011, in a game versus the New York Mets, Kimbrel passed the record for most saves by a National League rookie before the All-Star break.

[14][15] On July 22, 2011, in a game versus the Cincinnati Reds, Kimbrel broke the Braves rookie record for saves in a season (31).

[16] On August 9, 2011, in a game versus the Florida Marlins, Kimbrel tied the National League rookie record for saves in a season (36 by Todd Worrell of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986).

On August 21, 2011, Kimbrel recorded his 100th strike out which coincided with his 39th save of the season and a string of 30+2⁄3 innings without yielding a run.

The loss knocked Atlanta out of playoff contention, completing a historic late-season collapse that squandered an early September lead of 8+1⁄2 games in the National League Wild Card race.

[24] Kimbrel's mediocre September (4.76 ERA)[25] led to charges that manager Fredi González had overworked him over the course of the season.

[28] On November 14, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the results of their 2011 National League Rookie of the Year vote; Craig Kimbrel received all 32 first-place ballots—the first unanimous selection since 2001 winner Albert Pujols—for 160 points.

[30][31] The only other time two Braves finished in the top five, the organization was still located in Milwaukee—Gene Conley was voted third-best rookie of the 1954 season; Hank Aaron came in fourth.

[44] Nonetheless, on May 9, 2013, in a game against the San Francisco Giants, Kimbrel earned his 100th save, making him the second youngest player in MLB history to reach that mark.

[citation needed] On April 5, 2015, Kimbrel was traded to the San Diego Padres along with outfielder Melvin Upton, Jr., in exchange for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, prospects Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck, and the 41st overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft.

[56][57] In his one season with the Padres, Kimbrel made 61 appearances, finishing 53 games while recording 39 saves; he struck out 87 while walking 22 in 59+1⁄3 innings pitched with a 2.58 ERA.

[38] On November 13, 2015, the Padres traded Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Manuel Margot, Javy Guerra, Carlos Asuaje, and Logan Allen.

[citation needed] For the 2016 Red Sox, Kimbrel made 57 regular season appearances, finishing 47 games while recording 31 saves.

[38] In the 2016 American League Division Series, Kimbrel made two appearances; he retired all four batters he faced, three by strikeout, as the Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians.

[38] On May 11, 2017, against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth inning on nine consecutive pitches, joining Pedro Martínez and Clay Buchholz as the only pitchers in franchise history to accomplish this feat, commonly referred to as an immaculate inning.

[63] For the 2017 Red Sox, Kimbrel made 67 regular season appearances, finishing 51 games while recording 35 saves.

[64] In the 2017 American League Division Series, Kimbrel made two one-inning appearances; he faced a total of 12 batters, giving up four hits, one walk, and one run while recording two strikeouts, as the Red Sox lost to the eventual World Series champions, the Houston Astros.

[38] In the postseason, Kimbrel recorded six saves while allowing seven earned runs in 10+2⁄3 innings, as the Red Sox went on to win the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

[76] On June 24, 2021, Kimbrel pitched a combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, and Andrew Chafin.

[77] On July 30, 2021, the Cubs traded Kimbrel to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer.

[83] In June, he pitched 13 innings in as many appearances, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits with 21 strikeouts and 5 saves, good for a 0.69 ERA, earning him NL Reliever of the Month honors.

On December 6, 2023, the Baltimore Orioles signed Kimbrel on a one-year, $13 million deal with a club option for the 2025 season.

Kimbrel was designated for assignment on September 18, 2024, a day after he allowed six runs in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants.

Despite not surrendering one lead-off double all year with the Braves in 2012, Kimbrel gave one up to Nelson Cruz of the Dominican Republic in their round two matchup.

Kimbrel would go on to give up two runs in the game, and be the losing pitcher in Team USA's 3–1 loss to the eventual champions.