300 save club

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Mariano Rivera has the most career saves in Major League Baseball history with 652. Mariano Rivera allison 7 29 07.jpg
Mariano Rivera has the most career saves in Major League Baseball history with 652.

In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 300 save club is the group of pitchers who have recorded 300 or more regular-season saves in their careers. [1] [2] [3] [4] Most commonly a relief pitcher ("reliever" or "closer") earns a save by being the final pitcher of a game in which his team is winning by three or fewer runs and pitching at least one inning without losing the lead. The final pitcher of a game can earn a save by getting at least one batter out to end the game with the winning run on base, at bat, or on deck, or by pitching the last three innings without relinquishing the lead, regardless of score. [5] The statistic was created by Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to "measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers" and was adopted as an official statistic by MLB in 1969. [6] [7] The save has been retroactively measured for past pitchers where applicable. Hoyt Wilhelm retired in 1972 and recorded just 31 saves from 1969 onwards, for example, but holds 228 total career saves. [8]

Contents

Mariano Rivera holds the MLB save record with 652. Only Rivera and Trevor Hoffman have exceeded 500 or 600 saves, and Hoffman was the first to achieve either. Only eight pitchers have recorded 400 or more saves: Rivera, Hoffman, Lee Smith, Francisco Rodríguez, John Franco, Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, and Billy Wagner.

Rollie Fingers was the first player to record 300 saves, reaching the mark on August 21, 1982. Aroldis Chapman is the most recent, achieving his 300th on August 26, 2021. The New York Mets are the only franchise to see three players reach the milestone while on their roster—John Franco, Billy Wagner, and Jason Isringhausen. In total, 31 players have recorded 300 or more saves in their career. Only eight relievers – Dennis Eckersley, Fingers, Goose Gossage, Hoffman, Rivera, Smith, Bruce Sutter, and Wilhelm – have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; [9] all but Wilhelm also have at least 300 saves. [10] Kimbrel, Jansen, and Chapman are the only active players with more than 300 saves. [11]

Key

PlayerName of the player
SVTotal career saves
DateDate of the pitcher's 300th save
TeamThe pitcher's team for his 300th save
†Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
‡Player is active [note 1]

List

Trevor Hoffman was the first player to reach the 500 and 600 save milestones. Trevor Hoffman 01.jpg
Trevor Hoffman was the first player to reach the 500 and 600 save milestones.
PlayerSV300th saveYears activeRef(s)
DateTeam
Mariano Rivera †652May 28, 2004 New York Yankees 1995–2013 [12] [13]
Trevor Hoffman †601August 15, 2001 San Diego Padres 1993–2010 [14]
Lee Smith †478August 25, 1991 St. Louis Cardinals 1980–1997 [15] [16]
Francisco Rodríguez 437June 22, 2013 Milwaukee Brewers 2002–2017 [17] [18]
Kenley Jansen ‡425September 25, 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers 2010–present [19]
John Franco 424April 29, 1996 New York Mets 1984–2005 [20]
Craig Kimbrel ‡424May 5, 2018 Boston Red Sox 2010–present [21]
Billy Wagner 422July 4, 2006 New York Mets 1995–2010 [22]
Dennis Eckersley †390May 24, 1995 Oakland Athletics 1975–1998 [23]
Joe Nathan 377April 8, 2013 Texas Rangers 1999–2000, 2002–2009, 2011–2016 [24] [25]
Jonathan Papelbon 368June 10, 2014 Philadelphia Phillies 2005–2016 [26]
Jeff Reardon 367May 20, 1991 Montréal Expos 1979–1994 [27] [28]
Troy Percival 358July 28, 2004 Anaheim Angels 1995–2005, 2007–2009 [29] [30]
Randy Myers 347July 1, 1997 Baltimore Orioles 1985–1998 [31] [32]
Rollie Fingers †341August 21, 1982 Milwaukee Brewers 1968–1985 [33]
John Wetteland 330May 12, 2000 Texas Rangers 1989–2000 [34]
Francisco Cordero 329June 1, 2011 Cincinnati Reds 1999–2012 [2] [35]
Fernando Rodney 327September 22, 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks 2002–2003, 2005–2019 [36]
Roberto Hernández 326May 25, 2002 Kansas City Royals 1991–2007 [37] [38]
Huston Street 324July 22, 2015 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2005–2017 [39]
Aroldis Chapman ‡322August 26, 2021 New York Yankees 2010–present [40]
José Mesa 321April 27, 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates 1987, 1990–2007 [41] [42]
Todd Jones 319September 16, 2007 Detroit Tigers 1993–2008 [43] [44]
Rick Aguilera 318June 2, 2000 Chicago Cubs 1985–2000 [45] [46]
Robb Nen 314August 6, 2002 San Francisco Giants 1993–2002 [3] [47]
Tom Henke 311August 18, 1995 St. Louis Cardinals 1982–1995 [48]
Goose Gossage †310August 6, 1988 Chicago Cubs 1972–1989, 1991–1994 [49]
Jeff Montgomery 304August 25, 1999 Kansas City Royals 1987–1999 [50]
Doug Jones 303September 11, 1999 Oakland Athletics 1982–2000 [51]
Jason Isringhausen 300August 15, 2011 New York Mets 1995–2012 [52]
Bruce Sutter †300September 9, 1988 Atlanta Braves 1976–1986, 1988 [53]
A ticket from the game where Goose Gossage became the second player in MLB history to earn 300 career saves on August 6, 1988. Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs 1988-08-06 (ticket).JPG
A ticket from the game where Goose Gossage became the second player in MLB history to earn 300 career saves on August 6, 1988.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or not played for a full season.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save (baseball)</span> Credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain circumstances

In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. Most commonly a pitcher earns a save by entering in the ninth inning of a game in which his team is winning by three or fewer runs and finishing the game by pitching one inning without losing the lead. The number of saves or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted are oft-cited statistics of relief pitchers, particularly those in the closer role. The save statistic was created by journalist Jerome Holtzman in 1959 to "measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers" and was adopted as an official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic in 1969. The save has been retroactively tabulated for pitchers before that date. Mariano Rivera is MLB's all-time leader in regular-season saves with 652, while Francisco Rodríguez earned the most saves in a single season with 62 in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariano Rivera</span> Panamanian-American baseball player (born 1969)

Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons. A thirteen-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's career leader in saves (652) and games finished (952). Rivera won five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards, and he finished in the top three in voting for the AL Cy Young Award four times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2019 in his first year of eligibility, and is to date the only player ever to be elected unanimously by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relief pitcher</span> A baseball or softball pitcher that enters a game to pitch after a starting pitcher

In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher has been removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather delays or pinch hitter substitutions. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as closers, setup men, middle relief pitchers, left/right-handed specialists, and long relievers. Whereas starting pitchers usually throw so many pitches in a single game that they must rest several days before pitching in another, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch in more games with a shorter time period between pitching appearances but with fewer innings pitched per appearance. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to metonymically as a team's bullpen, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, and where they warm-up prior to entering the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goose Gossage</span> American baseball player (born 1951)

Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1972 and 1994. He pitched for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Smith (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1957)

Lee Arthur Smith is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight teams. Serving mostly as a relief pitcher during his career, he was a dominant closer, was the first pitcher to reach 400 saves, and held the major league record for career saves from 1993 until 2006, when Trevor Hoffman passed his total of 478. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2019 by the Today's Game Era Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Hoffman</span> American baseball player (born 1967)

Trevor William Hoffman is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers, including more than 15 years for the Padres. Hoffman was the major leagues' first player to reach the 500- and 600-save milestones, and was the all-time saves leader from 2006 until 2011. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. Hoffman currently serves as senior advisor for baseball operations for the Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Nathan</span> American baseball player

Joseph Michael Nathan is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs. Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school and in college for Stony Brook, but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the Giants. He worked his way through the minor leagues, alternating between spots in the rotation and the bullpen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Papelbon</span> American baseball pitcher

Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was an All-Star in four consecutive seasons (2006–2009), won the 2007 Delivery Man of the Year Award, and was a 2007 World Series champion. The Red Sox drafted Papelbon in the fourth round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, and he played three seasons of minor league baseball before breaking into the majors. He also pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2012 to 2015, and the Washington Nationals during 2015 and 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award</span> Annual award in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) annually honors its best relief pitchers in the American League (AL) and National League (NL) with the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award, respectively. The awards are named after former relievers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, who played their entire careers in the respective leagues. First issued in 2014, the awards replaced the Delivery Man of the Year Award, which had been presented since 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closer (baseball)</span> Baseball relief pitcher who specializes in finishing close games

In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer, is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman, short reliever, and stopper. A small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Eight closers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Robertson (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1985)

David Alan Robertson, nicknamed "D-Rob", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Kimbrel</span> American baseball pitcher (born 1988)

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The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As had been the case since 2003, the league winning that game had home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.

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Major League Baseball (MLB) annually honored its best relief pitcher with the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award from 2005 through 2013. It was initially part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and package delivery company DHL Express; DHL's sponsorship ran from 2005 to 2010. There was also a Delivery Man of the Month Award. From its inception in 2005 through 2008, the award was given to a single reliever who was selected online by fans from a group of 10 finalists chosen by an MLB panel. The panel took sole responsibility to select the annual winner starting in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolaids Relief Man Award</span> Former annual Major League Baseball award

The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL).

Major League Baseball (MLB) honored its best relief pitchers with a Delivery Man of the Month Award for one pitcher during each month of the regular season from 2005 through 2013. The awards were initially part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and package delivery company DHL Express; DHL's sponsorship ran from 2005 to 2010. There was also a Delivery Man of the Year Award; all of the Delivery Man awards were discontinued after 2013. A new Reliever of the Month Award was first awarded in 2017.

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ Waldstein, David (June 8, 2011). "For Mets, Collegiality Is Part of Closing". The New York Times . Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Torres, Adry (June 6, 2011). "Bartolo Colon Goes Old School, Carlos Zambrano Sounds Off, and Francisco Cordero Joins 300 Club – Fox News Latino". Latino.foxnews.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Harding, Thomas (October 11, 2002). "Giants lean on Nen to slam door | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ Holtzman, Jerome (December 15, 1991). "It's Historic: 300-save Club Gets Together". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ Office of the Commissioner of Baseball (2017). Official Baseball Rules (PDF) (2017 ed.). United States of America: MLB Advanced Media. p. 135. ISBN   978-0-9961140-4-2.
  6. ↑ Weber, Bruce (July 22, 2008). "Jerome Holtzman, 82, 'Dean' of Sportswriters, Dies". The New York Times . Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ Bloom, Barry (July 21, 2008). "Legendary historian Holtzman passes". MLB.com . Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Hoyt Wilhelm Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Goose Gossage joins exclusive club of relievers in baseball's Hall of Fame". New York Daily News . Associated Press. July 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Rules for Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Active Leaders & Records for Saves". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ Gagliano, Anthony (May 29, 2004). "Rivera earns 300th career save". MLB. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Mariano Rivera Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Trevor Hoffman Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Lee Smith Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Lee Smith, Harold Baines elected to Hall of Fame by Today's Game Era Committee". Baseballhall.org. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "Francisco Rodríguez Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Francisco Rodriguez closes out Brewers' win for 300th save". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  19. ↑ "Kenley Jansen Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. ↑ "John Franco Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Billy Wagner Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Dennis Eckersley Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Joe Nathan Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
  25. ↑ Lacques, Gabe (April 9, 2013). "Ump's blown call enables Joe Nathan to notch 300th save". USA Today Sports. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  26. ↑ "Jonathan Papelbon Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Jeff Reardon Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  28. ↑ Montella, Paul (May 19, 2011). "This Date in Baseball – MLB – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Troy Percival Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Percival gets 300th save against Texas | Amarillo.com | Amarillo Globe-News". Amarillo.com. The Associated Press. July 29, 2004. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Randy Myers Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  32. ↑ Schmuck, Peter (July 2, 1997). "Myers, O's hit mark, 4–1 Closer gets 300th save – Baltimore Sun". Articles.baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Rollie Fingers Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  34. ↑ "John Wetteland Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Francisco Cordero Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Fernando Rodney Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Roberto Hernandez Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Hernandez picks up 300th save in Royals' win". Highbeam Research. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. May 25, 2002. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Huston Street Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Aroldis Chapman Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  41. ↑ "José Mesa Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  42. ↑ "José Mesa named winner of the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Deliveryman of the Month Award" for April" (Press release). Major League Baseball. May 4, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  43. ↑ "Todd Jones Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  44. ↑ "AL Notes: Tigers' Jones notches 300th save | Baseball | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. September 18, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  45. ↑ "Rick Aguilera Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  46. ↑ "On This Date – Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. June 2, 2006. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Robb Nen Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Tom Henke Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Goose Gossage Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Jeff Montgomery Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  51. ↑ "Doug Jones Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  52. ↑ "Jason Isringhausen Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  53. ↑ "Bruce Sutter Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2011.

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