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Not all saves are created equal

My internet friend Mike Treder pointed out something to me that escaped my notice: Sergio Mitre got the save in yesterday’s Yankees-Tigers game. Which ended 11-5. Mike’s comment:

“You come into a game with your team leading 11 to 2, pitch three innings, give up six hits and three runs, and you’re given a “Save” for that??!”

Great point!

I don’t want to do away with the save statistic. I’m used to it by now and it’s kind of fun to argue about. But I do wish there was some way we could make it bear a closer relationship to the value a relief pitcher truly provides. For starters, the “three innings to close a game = automatic save” rule should probably be scrapped.

Mostly, we should find some way to prevent saves from being awarded to pitchers who really aren’t terribly effective. But I’ll grant that, the more we get into the land of subjectivity, the more problems we likely create.