A save in baseball is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under specific conditions. According to the official Major League Baseball (MLB) rules, a pitcher earns a save when all of the following criteria are met:
- The pitcher is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team.
- The pitcher is not the winning pitcher.
- The pitcher pitches at least one-third of an inning.
- The pitcher satisfies one of the following conditions:
- Enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least one inning.
- Enters the game with the potential tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck.
- Pitches for at least three innings regardless of the lead size.
In simpler terms, the pitcher must preserve his team's lead under pressure situations, typically toward the end of a game, and must finish the game without losing that lead. The save is commonly associated with relief pitchers, especially the "closer" role, who protect narrow leads in the final innings. The statistic was officially introduced in 1969 and has been used to measure the effectiveness of relief pitchers.
