In baseball, a save is a statistic that is awarded to a relief pitcher who finishes a game with their team in the lead. A save is a great achievement for a pitcher, as it is a measure of their ability to come into an important situation and hold the lead. But how many innings do you need to pitch to earn a save?
What is a Save?
A save is a statistic that is awarded to a relief pitcher who finishes a game with their team in the lead. A save is awarded when a pitcher enters the game in a save situation and holds the lead until the completion of the game. A save situation is when the pitcher’s team is leading by three or fewer runs, the potential tying run is on base, at bat, or on deck, and there are fewer than two outs in the inning.
The pitcher must finish the game with the lead intact in order to be awarded a save. If the pitcher does not finish the game with the lead, but still holds the lead until they are relieved, they are still credited with a hold instead of a save.
How Many Innings Do You Need to Pitch for a Save?
In order to be eligible for a save, a pitcher must pitch at least one full inning. If a pitcher enters the game in the middle of an inning and holds the lead until the completion of the inning, they will still be credited with a save. However, a pitcher must pitch at least three full outs in order to be eligible for a save.
For example, if a pitcher enters the game in the middle of an inning and records two outs, but is then relieved before recording the third out, they will not be credited with a save. In this situation, the pitcher would be credited with a hold instead.
What Are the Different Types of Saves?
There are three different types of saves in baseball: traditional, relief, and combined.
Traditional saves are awarded to a pitcher who enters the game in a save situation and pitches for at least one full inning, recording at least three outs in the process.
Relief saves are awarded to a pitcher who enters the game in a save situation and pitches for less than one full inning. In order to earn a relief save, the pitcher must record at least three outs in the process.
Finally, a combined save is awarded to a pitcher who enters the game in a save situation and records at least three outs, but is then relieved by another pitcher. In this situation, both pitchers will be credited with a save, as long as the lead is maintained until the completion of the game.
Conclusion
In baseball, a save is a statistic that is awarded to a relief pitcher who finishes a game with their team in the lead. In order to be eligible for a save, the pitcher must pitch at least one full inning and record at least three outs. There are three different types of saves in baseball: traditional, relief, and combined.