The 600 Save Closer
The story of the save
The Save did not become an official Major League Baseball (MLB) stat until 1969. Before the 1970s, starting pitchers usually finished games. When they couldn’t finish a game, managers had to call in a group of “has been” they kept in the bullpen. Pitchers with unusual styles, like knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, made a living out of the bullpen. In the 1970s, managers began looking for pitchers who could be counted on to get some crucial outs late in the game. The great Yankee 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 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 victory. In the 1980s, relief pitchers like Dan Quisenberry of the Royals, 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 greater specialization. The era of the iron man entering during the seventh inning was short-lived. In the late 1980s, closers were required to get only three outs. From 1969 to 1985, single-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, ticket savings reached the highest rate in history, an incredible 85.3%.
What is a save in baseball?
In MLB, a pitcher is credited with a save when all four of the following conditions are met:
1. Is the hitting pitcher in a game won by his team;
2. Not the winning pitcher;
3. Is credited for at least – one inning pitched; Y
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. Enter 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 Salvage 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 beginner directory; a straight 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 do 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 out of the bullpen than as a starter. In 5 1/3 innings he allowed 3 hits, one walk, 8 strikeouts and no runs. The Yankees already had a dominant closer, 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 the seventh and eighth and Wetteland would pitch the ninth. 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 standard of excellence is to strike out a batter and not allow more than one hit per inning.) Rivera developed the pitch that made him great; a 90-mile-per-hour (mph) slice fastball that breaks sharply.
Enter Sandman
In the summer of 1999, the Yankee Stadium scoreboard production staff began playing the song “Enter Sandman” by the heavy metal band Metallica as Rivera’s entrance music. Staff members selected the song after witnessing at the previous year’s World Series 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 significant major league record and the most important one for his position gets very little press. Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit clock lasted 2 months, and then when he reached 3,000, the congratulatory messages went on for several more weeks.
Maybe it’s because there hasn’t been much interest in tracking saves compared to hits, wins or home runs. Every day the players have a point of reference; 3,000 visits. What is the benchmark for a closer? Is it 600 saves? So in the last 42 years, just two closers have racked up 600 saves. I’d say that’s where the current benchmark should be. Considering the number three all-time saves leader is Lee Smith (retired) at 478 and the closest active closer is Francisco Cordero at 323. At 36, it’s unlikely he’ll get another 300 career saves. . Closers no longer have 15-year runs. 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 3,000 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 no one will make 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 will hold up to 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 is 75-57 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 an ERA Plus of 205 (a major league record) and a .999 WHIP. During Trevor Hoffman’s career he went 61-75 with 601 saves, an ERA of 2.87 and an ERA Plus of 141 and a WHIP of 1.06.
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 have heard Yankee announcers tell us that Mariano Rivera is the best 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 probably add a lot more saves before he’s done, I think the case for him to be the best is strong. But completely ignoring 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 largely ignored by the media, Rivera’s journey to 600 saves was nothing compared to Derek Jeter’s countdown to 3,000 hits.
It’s 600 saves a great deal… ABSOLUTELY!