<P> In baseball, a save (abbreviated SV or S) is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances, described below . The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft - cited statistic of relief pitchers, particularly those in the closer role . It became an official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic in 1969 . Mariano Rivera is MLB's all - time leader in regular season saves with 652 . </P> <P> The term save was being used as far back as 1952 . Executives Jim Toomey of the St. Louis Cardinals, Allan Roth of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Irv Kaze of the Pittsburgh Pirates awarded saves to pitchers who finished winning games but were not credited with the win, regardless of the margin of victory . The statistic went largely unnoticed . </P>

How do you qualify for a save in major league baseball
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