Francisco "Frankie" José Rodriguez (born January 7,
1982 in Caracas, Venezuela), nicknamed "K-Rod", is a
Major League Baseball player. A right-handed relief
pitcher, he has played for the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim since 2002, and served as the Angels' closer
since 2005.
Rodriguez's nickname of "K-Rod" became quickly
popular during his meteoric rise in late September
of 2002 and the playoffs. It is a take-off on
"A-Rod", the nickname of baseball star Alex
Rodriguez, with "K" representing the common
abbreviation for strikeout.
