Bad, bad, bad loss

All righty, I've let some time pass before writing about the terrible loss the Tigers created yesterday. It could not have been any worse if we had written a script for a stunning Twins victory. The host team took control and had the game won, but the bullpen struggled and gave the game away. I don't even entirely blame the Rollercoaster (Todd Jones, for the uninformed) for the loss. The previous two pitchers didn't do all that well. That game was so important.

There's always tonight.


How many of you remember when an "ace" reliever would come in and put out a "fire" in a ballgame? The days of Rich "Goose" Gossage and the like are long gone. All Todd Jones had to do yesterday was come in and get three outs. It shouldn't even have been called a "save" situation.

The rule, according to Wikipedia:

In baseball statistics, the term save (abbreviated SV or S) is used to indicate the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, usually the closer, until the end of the game. A save is a statistic credited to a relief pitcher, as set forth in Rule 10.19 of the Rules of Baseball. That rule states the official scorer shall credit a pitcher with a save when such pitcher meets all four of the following conditions[1]:

1. He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team
2. He is not the winning pitcher
3. He is credited with at least ⅓ of an inning pitched
4. He satisfies one of the following conditions:

1. He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning
2. He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat or on deck
3. He pitches for at least three innings

If the pitcher surrenders the lead at any point, he cannot get a save, but he may be credited as the winning pitcher if his team comes back to win (a so-called vulture win). No more than one save may be credited in each game.

If a relief pitcher satisfies all of the criteria for a save, except he does not finish the game, he will often be credited with a hold.

Save rules have changed over the years; the above rules are the current as defined in Section 10.19 of Major League Baseball Official Rules. The statistic was formally introduced in 1970, although research has identified saves earned prior to that point.