The story of the save

The Save did not become an official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic until 1969. Prior to the 1970s, starting pitchers generally finished games. When they couldn’t finish a game, managers had to call a “has been” group that they kept in the bullpen. Pitchers with unusual styles, like knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, made a living coming out of the bullpen. In the ’70s, managers began looking for pitchers who could be counted on to get some crucial late-game outs. The great Yankees teams of the late ’70s and early ’80s relied on one of the best relievers; Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage. Gossage came in as a pure reliever with the Chicago White Sox, but he reached his prime with the Yankees. Fans began to pay attention to saves, which relievers earned by entering a game with a minimal lead and preserving the win. In the 1980s, relief pitchers like the Royals’ Dan Quisenberry, Bruce Sutter with the Cubs and Cardinals, and Dennis Eckersley with the A’s became stars in their own right. The latter two are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The reliever role evolved into more specialization. The era of the iron man coming on during the seventh inning was short-lived. In the late ’80s, closers were required to get just three outs. From 1969 through 1985, one-inning saves accounted for only 21% of all saves. By 1991, the one-inning save jumped to over 40% of all saves. In 1992, more than half of the saves were in one inning. In 1999, it was more than 70%. Now, in 2011, the savings on a ticket reached the highest rate ever, an incredible 85.3%.

What is a save in baseball?

In MLB, a pitcher is credited with a save when he meets all four of the following conditions:

1. Is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team;
2. Not the winning pitcher;
3. Is credited with at least – one inning pitched; and
4. Meet one of the following conditions:
1. Enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least one inning
2. Enters the game, regardless of count, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck
3. Throw at least three innings

The one-entry rescue specialist

The New York Yankees signed Rivera in 1990 and he was listed as a starting pitcher. He progressed up the minor league ladder without fanfare. He had the normal directory of beginners; a straightaway with a top speed of 91 or 92 mph, a slider and a shifter. In 1995, Yankees general manager Gene Michael brought him from the Columbus Clippers to the parent club, and Rivera compiled average numbers, but was sent back to the minors. The team hoped to acquire pitcher David Wells from the Detroit Tigers, and Rivera was a small part of the trade bait. Sometimes the trades he doesn’t perform are better than the ones he does.

Rivera’s unexpected performance in the 1995 playoffs convinced management that he could be a more powerful weapon coming out of the bullpen than as a starter. In 5 1/3 innings he allowed 3 hits, a walk, 8 strikeouts and no runs. The Yankees already had a dominant closer in John Wetteland, and as Rivera continued to demonstrate his ability, manager Joe Torre named him Wetteland’s setup man. In 1996, if the Yankees won after six innings, the game was effectively over, because Rivera would pitch 7th and 8th and Wetteland would pitch 9th. Rivera won eight games and lost three with an impressive 2.09 ERA. In 107 2/3 innings he struck out 130 batters and allowed 73 hits. (The gold standard is to strike out a batter and allow no more than one hit per inning.) Rivera developed the pitch that made it big; a 90-mile-per-hour (mph) slice fastball that breaks sharply.

Enter Sandman

In the summer of 1999, the production staff at the Yankee Stadium scoreboard began playing the song “Enter Sandman” by the heavy metal band Metallica as Rivera’s entrance music. The staff members selected the song after witnessing at the World Series the previous year how enthusiastically San Diego fans reacted when closer Trevor Hoffman entered the games accompanied by AC/DC’s “Hells Bells.” Although Rivera was indifferent to his entrance music, “Enter Sandman” soon became as much a part of his identity as a closer as his cutter did.

3,000 hits verses 600 saved

Mariano’s low-key approach to a major league record that is significant and most important to his position gets very little press. Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit clock lasted 2 months and then when he hit 3,000, the congratulatory messages lasted several more weeks.

Maybe it’s because there hasn’t been much interest in tracking saves versus hits, wins or home runs. Every day players have a reference point; 3,000 visits. What is the benchmark for a closer? Is it 600 saved? So in the last 42 years, only two closers have racked up 600 saves. I’d say that’s where the current reference point should be. Considering the number three all-time saves leader is Lee Smith (retired) with 478 and the closest active closer is Francisco Cordero with 323. At 36, it’s unlikely he’ll get another 300 saves in his career. . Closers no longer have 15-year careers. Another important factor is that a closer has to play for a winning team for so long and also has to avoid serious injuries throughout his career.

It all comes down to judging 3,000 hits vs. the all-time saves leader. It’s much more impressive to be the all-time leader in something. The all-time hits leader is Pete Rose. The all-time wins leader is Cy Young. The all-time home run leader is Barry Bonds. The all-time saves leader is Mariano Rivera.

There are 28 players in the 3000 hit club, 24 pitchers in the 300 win club, and 25 players in the 500 home run club. However, there are only 2 closers in the 600 save club.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that no one will have more saves than Rivera. Even at 41, I haven’t heard anything about retirement. So who knows what his final total will be, but he’ll be right up there with DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak as a record that may never be broken.

Is 600 savings a big deal?

So far during Mariano Rivera’s career he has a 75-57 record with 8 40+ save seasons (39 in 2008), including 2 50+ save seasons. He led the major leagues in saves in 1999, 2001 and 2004. In 1,208 innings pitched, he recorded 1,107 strikeouts with just 274 walks and a 2.22 ERA. He has a 205 ERA Plus (a major league record) and a .999 WHIP. During Trevor Hoffman’s career he had a 61-75 record with 601 saves, a 2.87 ERA and a 141 ERA Plus and a 1.06 WHIP.

Mariano Rivera with his 602nd save is now the all-time leader in career saves. As a Yankees fan, I watch Yankees games on the YES Network, and for the past few weeks I’ve heard Yankees announcers tell us that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in MLB history. Now, in fact, he probably is, but what was being completely ignored is that he wasn’t the first MLB closer to reach 600 saves. That milestone was first achieved last year by Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman appeared in 1,035 games with no starts, while Rivera appeared in 1,038 games with 10 starts. With Rivera’s postseason record (42 saves) and considering he’ll likely add many more saves before he’s done, I think the case for him being the best is strong. But to completely ignore the fact that Hoffman had already accomplished what Rivera was trying to duplicate was ridiculous.

Just as Jim Thome’s march to 600 home runs was basically ignored by the media, Rivera’s trip to 600 saves was nothing compared to Derek Jeter’s countdown to 3,000 hits.

It’s 600 saves a big deal…ABSOLUTELY!