Malcolm Rivera
In Major League Baseball, a save (abbreviated as SV or S) is a statistic that is awarded to a relief pitcher, often called a closer, who enters the game under certain conditions and maintains their team's lead until the end of the game. The save statistic was created by journalist Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers and was later adopted as an official MLB statistic in 1969. The current definition of a save, which has been in place since 1975, states that a pitcher must meet specific criteria to be credited with a save, including finishing a game for the winning team and pitching for at least three innings.
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What You'll Learn
The definition of a save
In Major League Baseball, a save is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher, often referred to as a closer, who enters a game under specific conditions and maintains their team's lead until the end. The save was created by journalist Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to "measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers" and became an official MLB statistic in 1969. The current definition has been in place since 1975, outlined in Rule 9.19 of the Official Rules of Major League Baseball.
To earn a save, a pitcher must meet all of the following conditions: they must be the finishing pitcher in a game won by their team; they enter the game with their team leading by three or fewer runs; they finish the game by pitching at least one inning without losing the lead; and they must pitch for at least three innings. If a relief pitcher meets all the criteria for a save but does not finish the game, they are often credited with a hold, which is not officially recognised by the MLB.
The save rule has been amended over time, with revisions made for the 1974 and 1975 seasons. Baseball researchers have retroactively applied the saves definition to seasons prior to 1969 to calculate saves for all major league seasons. The save is a significant statistic in evaluating the performance of relief pitchers, particularly those in the closer role, providing insight into their effectiveness in maintaining leads and securing victories for their teams.
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Conditions for a save
In Major League Baseball, a save is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher, often referred to as a closer, who enters the game under specific conditions and maintains their team's lead until the end of the game. The save rule was first adopted in 1969 and has since undergone amendments. To achieve a save, a pitcher must satisfy the following conditions:
- Entering the game with their team leading by three or fewer runs and finishing the game by pitching at least one inning without surrendering the lead.
- Entering the game with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base and successfully finishing the game.
- Pitching at least three innings in relief and finishing the game, regardless of the number of runs their team is ahead.
It is important to note that a pitcher can only be credited with a save if they meet all of the above conditions and finish the game. If a pitcher fails to finish the game but meets the other criteria, they may be credited with a hold, which is not officially recognized by Major League Baseball.
Additionally, a blown save occurs when a pitcher in a save situation surrenders the lead by allowing the tying run or more to score. While blown saves are tracked, they are not officially recognized by Major League Baseball. The concept of a save was introduced to measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers and has become an important statistic in evaluating their performance.
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History of the save statistic
The save statistic in Major League Baseball (MLB) was created by journalist and sportswriter Jerome Holtzman in 1959. Holtzman identified a gap in baseball statistics, proposing a metric that would highlight the efforts of relief pitchers who preserved victories without being eligible for a win.
The save was formally introduced and recognised as an official MLB statistic in 1969, becoming the first new major statistic since the run batted in was added in 1920. On April 7, 1969, Bill Singer was credited with the first official save, pitching three shutout innings in relief for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The save rule was amended in 1974 and 1975, with a formal definition established in 1975 that included specific parameters, such as entering the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitching at least one inning.
Prior to 1969, baseball researchers retroactively calculated saves for all major league seasons. The save statistic has undergone several modifications, with early criticisms highlighting its simplicity and lack of nuance. The evolving nature of baseball meant that the save statistic continued to be scrutinised and debated, with analysts refining criteria to better reflect the impact of relief appearances.
The current definition of a save, in place since 1975, credits a pitcher who meets all four of the following conditions: they are the finishing pitcher in a game won by their team; they do not receive the win; they pitch for at least three innings; and they meet one of the following additional conditions: they enter the game with the potential tying run on base, at bat, or on deck; they enter the game with the lead and hold it through the end of the game, regardless of the score or duration pitched; or they pitch for at least three innings in relief, finishing the game regardless of the number of runs their team is winning by.
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Hold and blown save
In Major League Baseball, a hold is a statistic that is not officially recognised. A pitcher can be credited with a hold if they enter a game in a save situation and leave while their team is still in the lead. However, if they give up the lead, they will be charged with a blown save.
A blown save occurs when a relief pitcher enters a game in a save situation but allows the tying run to score. Blown saves are used to evaluate the effectiveness of a closer. They were introduced in 1988 but are not an officially recognised statistic, although many sources keep track of them.
There is some discrepancy between different sources regarding the awarding of holds and blown saves. For instance, MLB, USA Today, and Elias/ESPN will assign blown saves to relievers entering with three innings or more to go and a lead of at least four runs. However, Baseball-Reference, BIS, and STATS do not assign such blown saves. They maintain that if a pitcher cannot receive a hold, they cannot suffer a blown save.
Additionally, the majority of sources, including BIS, STATS, Elias, and USA Today, will not award a hold or a blown save to a pitcher who enters the game in the fifth inning or earlier. In contrast, Baseball-Reference and MLB.com will award holds and blown saves regardless of when the pitcher enters the game.
It is worth noting that the save became an official MLB statistic in 1969, with the current definition being in place since 1975. A save is credited to a relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under specific circumstances, such as entering the game with their team leading by three or fewer runs and finishing the game without losing the lead.
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Save opportunities
In Major League Baseball, a save is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher, often referred to as a closer, who enters the game under specific conditions and maintains their team's lead until the end. The save rule, which was created by journalist Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to "measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers", was first adopted for the 1969 season and has since undergone amendments.
To earn a save, a pitcher must satisfy one of the following criteria:
- Enter a game in which their team is leading by three or fewer runs and finish the game by pitching at least one inning without losing the lead.
- Enter the game with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base, and finish the game.
- Pitch at least three innings in relief and finish the game, regardless of the number of runs their team is winning by when they enter.
It is important to note that a pitcher who enters the game under the circumstances described above is said to have a save opportunity. If they satisfy all the criteria for a save but do not finish the game, they may be credited with a hold (H), which is not officially recognised by the MLB. Conversely, if a pitcher blows a save by allowing the tying run to score, they are charged with a blown save (BS), which is also not officially recognised.
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