SavesSV
SV stands for saves in baseball. Games a relief pitcher finished while protecting a lead, under the rulebook’s conditions.
How SV is calculated
Credited to a finishing reliever who is not the winning pitcher and either enters with a lead of three or fewer, or faces the tying run, or pitches three effective innings.
The save was invented by a sportswriter in 1960 and adopted by MLB in 1969. Because it requires the ninth inning and a small lead, it measures a manager’s bullpen usage at least as much as a pitcher’s quality.
What counts as a good SV?
Half of the 230 qualified MLB players in 2026 were at or below 2. Clearing 15 put a season in the top tenth of the league.
- Median
- 2
- Top 10%
- 15
- Leader
- 40
By position, the median was 2 for RP and 1 for SP.
Qualified: 10+ games, non-zero, 2026 regular season.