Hold (baseball)

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

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 pitches 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]

Contents

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 June 28, 2011[3]
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
Stanton, MikeMike StantonL 266 1989–2007
Rhodes, ArthurArthur RhodesL* 221 1991–present
Embree, AlanAlan EmbreeL 157 1992–2009
Romero, J. C.J. C. RomeroL* 155 1999–present
Shields, ScotScot Shields 155 2001–2010
Farnsworth, KyleKyle Farnsworth* 154 1999–present
Linebrink, ScottScott Linebrink* 153 2000–present
Eyre, ScottScott Eyre 140 1997–2009
Remlinger, MikeMike RemlingerL 140 1991–2006
Marté, DámasoDámaso MartéL* 138 1999–present

See also

References

  1. ^ Rob Neyer FAQ
  2. ^ MLB Miscellany: Rules, regulations and statistics
  3. ^ All-time Holds Leaders
Batting
Baserunning
Pitching
Fielding
Sabermetrics
Team stats