Craig Kimbrel was unaware of his exact proximity to Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith on one of baseball’s all-time lists until after his most recent appearance.

Kimbrel notched his 16^th save Wednesday by retiring the side in order in the ninth inning. He got a called third strike on Atlanta’s Jarred Kelenic, sandwiched by a ground ball and lineout.

Smith ranks third in saves with 478, followed by Francisco Rodríguez with 437 and Kimbrel with 433. But that wasn’t the specific chase.

Kimbrel and Smith were tied for third-most strikeouts by a reliever with 1,225 until an 0-2 heater froze Kelenic.

“Yeah, actually I found out afterward,” Kimbrel said. “Kind of wish I knew before. I would have probably saved the ball.”

LAS VEGAS - The Orioles will choose a manager from among six candidates, according to executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. However, it's possible for two hires to come out of the process. Elias seems to be leaning more toward experience, preferring someone who's managed in the majors, but he also could hire Diamondbacks director of player development Mike Bell in a coaching capacity. Bell, 44, could serve as bench coach or third base coach under Chip Hale, Brandon Hyde or...

LAS VEGAS - The first nugget of news has rolled through baseball's Winter Meetings this afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. And it picked up a couple of former Orioles. Longtime outfielder/designated hitter Harold Baines and reliever Lee Smith have been chosen for induction in the Hall of Fame by the Today's Game Era Committee. The announcement was made a few minutes ago on MLB Network. Six former major league players, three managers and one executive comprised the list of...

Ten former Orioles are included on the latest Hall of Fame ballot released today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The most prestigious newcomers are Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez. Guerrero concluded his 16-year career with the Orioles in 2011, batting .290/.317/.416 with 30 doubles, 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 145 games. The 13 home runs were his lowest total since he hit 11 in 90 games with the Expos in 1997. Other former Orioles include first-timers...

Five former Orioles return to the latest Hall of Fame Ballot, which has been released today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Mike Mussina, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith and Sammy Sosa are included among the 32 candidates for election. Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., a 13-time All-Star who ranks sixth on the all-time home run list with 630, and closer Trevor Hoffman, who ranks second to Mariano Rivera with 601 career saves and 856 games finished, are counted among 15...

There's not a lot of Nationals love on the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot announced this morning. Only one former Nat - infielder Aaron Boone - is listed among the 17 new additions to the ballot, which feature three pitchers (Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz) who combined to win nine Cy Young Awards and two hitters (Gary Sheffield and Nomar Garciaparra) who claimed batting titles in their careers. Boone played one season for the Nationals, hitting .241 with six homers and 28 RBIs in 104...

Five former Orioles are included on the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot, which was released today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The ballot contains 17 newcomers and 17 holdovers, and is being mailed this week to more than 575 voting members of the BBWAA. The former Orioles are pitchers Mike Mussina, Curt Schilling and Lee Smith, and outfielders Tim Raines and Sammy Sosa. The list of newcomers to the ballot includes pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, infielder...

Another Hall of Fame ballot, another smattering of former Nationals and Expos who will likely be on the outside looking in when results of balloting of Baseball Writers' Association of America members is announced Jan. 8. Among the 19 new candidates, there is only one ex-National: catcher Paul Lo Duca, who played 46 games in a Washington uniform in 2008 before being released. Lo Duca, a .286 hitter in 11 major league seasons, batted only .230 with 12 RBIs for the Nats. There are still some...

Baseball can sometimes be broken down to an individual sport, especially for the closers. If a batter makes an out, he still has eight other guys that can make a play, his team still has two more outs. A closer has defenders behind him, but it's ultimately one pitcher versus one hitter. One pitch can end the game. One pitch can also turn into a blown save. In a new book, "Closer: Major League Players Reveal The Inside Pitch On Saving The Game" (Running Press - 2013, $15.00), Kevin Neary...

The Hall of Fame pitched a shutout this year. For only the eighth time since voting began in 1936, a winning candidate did not emerge from the balloting conducted by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. There were 569 ballots cast, the third-highest total in the history of the voting, but none of the 37 candidates received the necessary 75 percent for election. Former Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio led the way with 68.2 percent of the votes, followed by Jack...

The 2013 Hall of Fame ballot is out, released today by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Members with 10 years under their belts get a vote, and 75 percent of the votes is the threshold necessary for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Last year, the first National appeared on the ballot: third baseman Vinny Castilla. He received only six votes among 573 ballots cast, meaning he's no longer eligible, relegated to the answer to a trivia question....