A save is a type of pitching milestone that has been with the game for over a century. It is a way for managers and coaches to track the progress of their pitchers, as well as an indicator as to how successful that pitcher is likely to be in the future.
In this article, we will explore just how it all works, from when it was first introduced to how it still exists today in some form. We will also take a look at just why it was formed in the first place and discuss its current status.
What is a Baseball Save?
Unlike many sports, baseball does not have an official statistic to measure a pitcher’s performance and record the amount of outs they make. There are, however, plenty of ways to gauge the effectiveness of a pitcher during a game. The first and most obvious is the score of the game. A team that wins a game has achieved something a pitcher did not do; get batters out.
A pitcher who gives up a lot of runs, however, is likely to be credited with a few outs, as well as runs being scored. Other metrics exist to measure the performance of a pitcher, as well. For example, take how many (or how few) baserunners a pitcher allows. This can be compared to how many runners a pitcher gets out via the hit by pitch, double play, and wild pitches.
The last metric is probably the most intriguing to fans, as it measures the amount of outs by way of walks and strikeouts. This can give insight into how successful a pitcher is at preventing runners from scoring by putting them on base.
Early Baseball Managers and Coaches
If you were to talk to a baseball player about the history of the game, you would likely be told about the importance of the pitcher in baseball. The pitcher is the most important player on the field, after all, and without them there is no game. This is an important point, but it is also important to note that the pitcher had little influence in the early days of baseball.
The fielders were the ones who mattered most in the early days of the sport, and they were the ones who received the most attention in the early days of baseball. Once the game had become more popular, however, the focus began to shift to the pitcher.
You would be astounded at the number of books on baseball strategy you can find in the library today, but you would be even more amazed at how little has changed over the years. The pitching strategy has barely changed throughout the years, and it is still very much centered around the “make the batter hit the ball” philosophy.
The First Recorded Save
The first recorded save was made by Charley Radbourn in 1890. Radbourn was an iconic pitcher in the early days of baseball, known for his “hard as a brick” delivery. He was also known for his ability to throw a ball over a fence for a home run. His name is forever etched into the record books as the first pitcher to record a save.
The method of recording a save was to simply record the number of outs made by a pitcher. This was done by a scorekeeper and had nothing to do with a number of pitches thrown. This method of recording saves continued until 1908, when the modern baseball save was created.
Modern Baseball Save Statistics (Taught in Batting Practice)
For the first 80 years of the modern baseball save, there was no uniform way to record them or standardize the method of recording them. Different teams and managers had their own methods of recording saves, and fans and statisticians had to pick through the mess to figure out which saves were accurate.
Once the save statistic was standardized in 1908, however, things largely remained the same. There were still quite a few changes from 1908 to the present day, but the major change was how much credit a pitcher was given for making a save.
At first, a pitcher was credited with a save only if they did not allow any runs during the game. This was done to avoid giving the pitcher credit for walks, which were thought of as “outs.”
The New Era of Save Data (Online Platforms)
Once the save was standardized, it gained a bit of momentum in the sports world. Fans and writers began to take notice of the save and began to use it as an indicator of a pitcher’s success.
The most popular method of using the save, however, is the one that persists to this day: the save statistic. Save totals were often used in newspapers to give an overall look at a pitcher, or at least an overall view that did not take walks into account.
As save totals gained popularity, they were also adopted as a statistic on some online platforms, including MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com.
Why Track Saves in Baseball?
Today, the save statistic is used almost exclusively in baseball, as it is the most reliable indicator of a pitcher’s success. The value of the statistic is clear; saves are successes, and the more saves a pitcher records, the more successful they are. The save statistic is also worth checking out during a game.
The score of a baseball game is almost never the same during all 9 innings, so it is important to be able to see how well a pitcher has done. The save statistic is also a fun and interesting way to learn more about baseball. It is a statistic that can be used to show how a team is performing, as well as show how a pitcher is doing.
Conclusion
In this article, we have taken a look at the history of the baseball save and its current status. We also explored some of the different ways saves are recorded and one of the most popular platforms for save statistics.
We hope that you have gained a greater understanding of the save statistic and why it is still such an important part of baseball today. The save is a valuable indicator of a pitcher’s success, and it is worth checking out when it comes to the game of baseball.
