Overview
A save is credited to a relief pitcher who does not qualify as the winning pitcher, enters with a lead of three runs or fewer, and preserves that lead through the end of the game. NPB's career save record is Hitoki Iwase's 407. The save rule was introduced to NPB in 1974. In modern baseball, the closer role for the ninth inning is well established, and save totals are valued as an indicator of closer reliability.