ANAHEIM, Calif. -- No great surprise that Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez became the youngest in major league history to reach 100 career saves.

K-Rod always was a pitching prodigy, even when he was a toddler playing catch with his baseball-crazy uncles in Venezuela.

"They didn't have anybody to baby-sit, so they used to take me with them to all their games. So that's when I started, when I was 3 1/2," Rodriguez said. "Every day, I'd see them play and I liked it more and more.

"One thing they always did with me, they had me throw the ball far, made me throw it hard trying to reach them. My arm got stronger and stronger."

Sensational in the 2002 postseason after making his major league debut as a 20-year-old setup man in mid-September, the right-hander with the herky-jerky delivery and wicked slider went 5-1 in October to help the Angels win their first World Series. In the process, he became the youngest ever to win a World Series game.

And he's still sensational.

In his second season as the Angels' closer, Rodriguez (2-2) leads the majors with 41 saves and hasn't given up a run since June 26. That's a span of 29 1-3 innings, including a scoreless ninth in Los Angeles' 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

His most recent save, in Sunday's 4-3 win over Toronto, gave the 24-year-old Rodriguez 100 almost a year earlier than Gregg Olson, who made it to the milestone at age 25 with Baltimore in 1992.

Rodriguez has blown just three save chances this year, posting a 1.71 ERA in 60 appearances spanning 63 1-3 innings, with 80 strikeouts. Last season, his first as a closer after taking over for Troy Percival, he went 2-5, with 45 saves in 50 chances with a 2.67 ERA in 66 games.

Rodriguez' composure was evident as a raw rookie four years ago.

"He thrives on bigger stakes on bigger stages," Angels pitching coach Bud Black said. "He likes it when the heat's on. That obviously became evident (in 2002)."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, "He has the burning desire to compete, and when you match that with the talent level, you get a special player."

Rodriguez, who grew up in a poor neighborhood in Caracas, matured early.

"One of the reasons I was never scared or afraid or nervous is because I've been used to playing with older players since I was 4 years old," he said. "The kids my age, their parents complained, saying I was throwing the ball too fast for them."

So he played with 12-year-olds when he was 8, with 14-year-olds when he was 10.

"And I grew up with my uncles, way older than me," he said. "I grew up with men and they never treated me like a little baby. That's one of the things that helped me grow up fast."

Along the way, he developed an unorthodox delivery, a fastball that reaches the mid 90-mph range, and breaking pitches that swerve and dip sharply.

The White Sox, in town for a series against the Angels, know how impressive Rodriguez can be.

"A lot of guys who throw real hard usually have a hard slider, and you don't have to really change your eye level because it's either going to be coming out of his hand hard and going straight or moving away from you," Chicago slugger Paul Konerko said. "When it comes out of his hand, it's high and then it drops straight down, and you don't see that too much from guys who throw 90. I mean, he's good."

Konerko said Rodriguez ranks with the best.

"When he comes into a game, his name has the same ring as (Mariano) Rivera and (Trevor) Hoffman, where you feel like this game is over," the White Sox first baseman said. "And he's a young guy, so the sky's the limit for him."

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski agreed.

"He's kind of got arms and legs flying at you. Guys can have all the motion they want -- but in the end, it's their stuff and their location," Pierzynski said. "And he's got both."

Chicago closer Bobby Jenks, a teammate of Rodriguez when both were in the Angels' minor league system, said, "He throws a lot of breaking balls. Guys sit back and think that just because he throws hard, eventually the fastball's going to come -- but then he'll throw another breaking ball. I think that's the biggest reason for his success."

Rodriguez likes to get the ball with the game on the line.

"The transition from starter (in the minors) to closer was very tough, but then I liked it; it seemed like it really fit me. From that point, I just was hoping to go out there and strike everybody out," he said.

"It's a situation I love, where I want to be, with my adrenaline and everything going. I want the pressure, to be in a tough situation, because that's when a real ball player is going to step up."