How to Determine if a Baseball Pitcher Recorded a Save

The save is a relatively new baseball statistic, generally described as coming into the baseball lexicon in 1969. The save, or save-percentage, is a measure of how effective a pitcher is at finishing a game in which he enters with his team ahead. There are four main criteria for earning a save.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baseball game

1. Know that the pitcher is the finishing pitcher for his team, which wins the game. He is not the winning pitcher.

2. Know that he is credited with at least 1/3 of an inning pitched, or he records at least one out.

3. Consider that he gets credit with the save if he satisfies one of the following three conditions: he enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least one inning; he enters the game, regardless of the batter's count, with the potential tying run on-base, or at-bat, or on-deck; he pitches at least three innings.

4. Know that if the pitcher surrenders a lead he cannot record a save, but will be credited with a blown save. However, if his team recovers to win after the pitcher allows the other team to go ahead, that pitcher will be credited with a win.