Hold (baseball)
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.[1]
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.[2] Many fantasy baseball providers also include holds as an optional category which can be included in customized leagues.
Career leaders
- Stats updated through February 14, 2013[3]
- Key
| Rank | Ranking of the player all-time |
| 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 |
| Rank | Player | Holds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur RhodesL* | 231 | 1991–present |
| 2 | LaTroy Hawkins* | 164 | 1995–present |
| 3 | Kyle Farnsworth* | 161 | 1999–present |
| 4 | J. C. RomeroL* | 157 | 1999–present |
| 4 | Alan EmbreeL | 157 | 1992–2009 |
| 4 | Bob Howry | 157 | 1998–2010 |
| 7 | Scott Linebrink* | 155 | 2000–present |
| 7 | Scot Shields | 155 | 2001–2010 |
| 9 | Matt Thornton* | 151 | 2004–present |
| 10 | David Weathers | 149 | 1991–2009 |
See also
References
- ^ Baseball FAQ by Rob Neyer (formerly of ESPN); Internet Archive
- ^ MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statisticsThe hold is not an official statistic, but it was created as a way to credit middle relief pitchers for a job well done. Starting pitchers get wins, and closers -- the relief pitchers who come in at the end of the game -- get saves, but the guys who pitch in between the two rarely get either statistic. So what's the most important thing one of these middle relievers can do? "Hold" a lead. If a reliever comes into a game to protect a lead, gets at least one out and leaves without giving up that lead, he gets a hold. But you can't get a save and a hold at the same time.
- ^ All-time Holds Leaders at MLB.com