This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The 2010 Braves had two of the greatest closers in baseball history on their roster -- one whose time in the game was winding down and one whose career was only beginning.

The final season of Billy Wagner’s remarkable 16-year MLB tenure coincided with Craig Kimbrel’s first taste of the Majors. It was Wagner’s age-38 campaign, and he recorded his final 37 saves while going out as an All-Star. Meanwhile, Kimbrel was 22 and notched only one save, serving as a setup man over his 21-game debut stint.

Kimbrel (born in 1988) grew up watching Wagner, who broke into the big leagues in ‘95. So the past few days have meant a lot to the now-Orioles closer, as he surpassed a former teammate and one of his baseball role models.

On Saturday night, Kimbrel earned his 422nd career save to tie Wagner for seventh on the AL/NL all-time list. Then, on Monday night, Kimbrel recorded save No. 423, moving into sole possession of seventh by overtaking Wagner.

“He’s always been somebody I’ve followed and admired, because he was so talented at the beginning,” Wagner said in a recent phone call with MLB.com. “I’m happy for him. I’m not surprised. I’ve always thought he was great, so I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Only eight players in AL/NL history have reached 400 saves:

AL/NL all-time saves list
1. Mariano Rivera: 652
2. Trevor Hoffman: 601
3. Lee Smith: 478
4. Francisco Rodriguez: 437
5. Kenley Jansen: 425 (active)
6. John Franco: 424
7. Craig Kimbrel: 423 (active)
8. Billy Wagner: 422

It’s possible Kimbrel may not have reached this level without observing Wagner up close in 2010. At the start of that year, Wagner already had 385 saves and owned a 2.39 ERA through 15 seasons, making him one of the most decorated closers in baseball history.

If there’s anything Wagner believes he may have done to help, it was showing Kimbrel the importance of developing a strong routine as a big league player.

“How you show up, your mentality, what you do every single day -- when you’re good, when you’re bad, when you’ve got a day off -- everything’s the same, and you’ve just got to learn those things,” Wagner said. “I don’t think you can become as successful as Craig has been without having some of that. So hopefully, some of that was something I said. But he was special from the get-go.”

While reflecting upon the beginning of his 15-year MLB career, the 35-year-old Kimbrel recalled being impressed by Wagner’s dedication to his craft. There was never a day in which Wagner showed up unprepared, and that has stuck with Kimbrel for more than a decade.

“Even when he picked up the ball to play catch, he was there to work, he was ready to put the time in,” Kimbrel said. “He definitely showed the intensity needed to play this game for a long time. And I was very appreciative at a young age to be able to see that.”

The ninth inning of close games is the hardest time to pitch, due to the high stakes and pressure-filled environment. Because of that, closers often struggle to have success for long periods of time. However, Wagner and Kimbrel have proven that it’s possible to do.

Wagner had a season ERA higher than 2.85 only once -- with the Astros in 2000, when he posted a mark of 6.18 and pitched in only 28 games while dealing with a left elbow injury.

Kimbrel was dominant early, recording a 1.91 ERA and 333 saves from 2010-18, for the Braves, Padres and Red Sox. He struggled with the Cubs across the ‘19 and ‘20 seasons (a 6.00 ERA in 41 games), but he was better from 2021-23, posting a 3.10 ERA and notching 69 saves over 197 combined outings for the Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers and Phillies.

So far this year, Kimbrel is putting up numbers like he did in the early 2010s. Through 10 outings with the Orioles, he has a 0.90 ERA while going 6-for-7 in save opportunities.

“Am I surprised that he’s pitched this long? Not really,” Wagner said. “It was one of those things that he just had to balance staying away from injuries and having multiple bad years. And he’s done that. ... He’s always just been super.”