Hold (baseball)

For the process of keeping baseball runners from advancing bases, see baserunner hold.

Mike Stanton, former setup pitcher who played most of his career with the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees, is the all-time holds leader.

A hold (abbreviated HLD, H or HD) is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions:

1. Enters the game in a save situation; that is, when all of the following three conditions apply:

(a) He appears in relief (i.e., is not the starting pitcher); and

(b) He is not the winning pitcher; and

(c) He qualifies under one of the following conditions:

(i) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and maintains that lead for at least one inning

(ii) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck

(iii) He pitches effectively for at least three innings.

2. Records at least one out

3. Leaves the game before it has ended without his team having relinquished the lead at any point and does not record a save.

Note that since the hold is not an official Major League Baseball statistic, the definition above can vary. One noticeable difference is that while STATS, Inc. requires the pitcher to record at least one out for a hold, SportsTicker does not have this requirement. This can result in discrepancies in hold totals between different sources.

Description

Unlike saves, wins, and losses, more than one pitcher per team can earn a hold for a game, though it is not possible for a pitcher to receive more than one hold in a given game. A pitcher can receive a hold by protecting a lead even if that lead is lost by a later pitcher after his exit.

The hold was invented in 1986 by John Dewan and Mike O'Donnell to give a statistical measure of the effectiveness of the vast majority of relief pitchers who are afforded few opportunities to close a game. While middle relievers earn their share, holds are most often credited to setup pitchers.

While holds are not an official MLB statistic, they are increasingly visible in many box scores, including espn.com and MLB.com. Many fantasy baseball providers also include holds as an optional category which can be included in customized leagues.

Career leaders

Stats updated through June 28, 2011

Key

Player	Name of the player
Holds	Career Holds
Years	The years this player played in the major leagues
†	Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
*	Denotes pitcher who is still active
L	Denotes pitcher who is left-handed

Player	Holds	Years
Mike StantonL	266	1989–2007
Arthur RhodesL*	221	1991–present
Alan EmbreeL	157	1992–2009
J. C. RomeroL*	155	1999–present
Scot Shields	155	2001–2010
Kyle Farnsworth*	154	1999–present
Scott Linebrink*	153	2000–present
Scott Eyre	140	1997–2009
Mike RemlingerL	140	1991–2006
Dámaso MartéL*	138	1999–present

See also

• Baseball statistics