It’s easy to conclude Mariano Rivera is the greatest relief pitcher of all-time, and it’s equally difficult to see anyone surpassing his list of accomplishments. His 205 league-adjusted ERA+ is the best mark ever. He was a 13-time All-Star who played a major role in five World Series championships, even winning World Series MVP once. And he earned a perfect 100 percent of the vote from the BBWAA when he first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2019.

After Rivera, I previously ranked the second through 10th best relievers of all-time. Today’s modern game of baseball inflates strikeouts and makes it easier for relievers to dominate in a specialized one inning role, so I factored that in when making my list. See the complete list here.

I kept the list going with relievers 11 through 50 below. Like the last list, these relievers will be compiled based largely on the following factors:

Comparing across eras isn’t easy but these are the primary factors I used in my evaluations:

• accolades – All-Star appearances, Cy Young awards, MVP awards, and World Series MVP awards
• traditional stats – saves, ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio
• sabermetric stats – adjusted ERA (ERA+), Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), Wins Above Replacement (WAR)
• longevity – how many years of dominance did this pitcher provide? For a three-year run, Eric Gagne holds up against any pitcher who ever lived, but it’s just not enough to earn the No. 2 spot all-time.

 

The list:

50. Sergio Romo, 2008-2019

Stats: 129 saves, 2.92 ERA, 1.016 WHIP, 4.77 K:BB, 134 ERA+

Accolades: 1 All-Star appearance, 3 World Series rings

There’s no logical reason why Sergio Romo is even a major league pitcher, let alone one of the most dominant relief pitchers of this generation. He went to three different colleges. He didn’t get drafted until the 28^th round. He took until age 25 to reach the major leagues. And his best pitch is an 85 MPH fastball.

But Romo just posts dominant statistics year after year after year. In four of his first five seasons, he posted a sub-2.20 ERA. His 2011 campaign was a thing of beauty, as he fashioned a 1.50 ERA and struck out 70 batters to just five walks. He was a major component in the Giants’ three titles, throwing six scoreless innings in six relief appearances in the World Series. And his 4.77 career strikeout-to-walk ratio is the fifth-best in modern MLB history.

 

49. Andrew Miller, 2012-2019 (as reliever)

Stats: 59 saves, 2.50 ERA, 0.987 WHIP, 4.32 K:BB, 171 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances

Considering he was taken sixth overall in the 2006 MLB draft, Andrew Miller’s career started as an epic failure. He struggled immensely with his control, flamed out in both Detroit and Florida, and was in danger of doing so again in Boston until he was finally moved to the bullpen.

None of that seemed to foreshadow what would actually happen, but Miller eventually became one of the game’s most unhittable left-handed relievers. Except for one year with the Yankees (2015), Miller was never his team’s primary closer, but operated more as a setup man. His 2016 season, split between the Yankees and Indians, is one of the more dominant campaigns we’ve ever seen – a 10-1 record, 1.45 ERA, and 123 strikeouts to just nine walks in 74.1 innings pitched plus the ALCS MVP award (7.2 shutout innings with 14 strikeouts to no walks).

 

48. Rod Beck, 1991-2004

Stats: 286 saves, 3.30 ERA, 1.164 WHIP, 3.37 K:BB, 124 ERA+

The late Rod Beck was a workhorse closer, leading the league in games finished four times. He averaged 39 saves over a six-year period from 1993 through 1998, keeping a low walk rate, and at one point issuing just six non-intentional walks in a whole season.

Beck’s 51 saves in ’98 made him just the fourth such pitcher to reach that mark and he’s still one of only six pitchers to have multiple seasons with at least 48 saves.

 

47. Rick Aguilera, 1988-2000 (as reliever)

Stats: 318 saves, 3.57 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, 2.93 K:BB, 118 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 2 World Series rings

Rick Aguilera started his career as a starter, winning 10 games for the 1986 world champion New York Mets, transitioned to a seventh or eighth inning role, and then became a three-time All-Star closer for the Minnesota Twins.

Aguilera posted an ERA 31 percent above league average for the 1990s (adjusted for ballpark), saved five games in the postseason for the 1991 world champion Minnesota Twins, and retired at eighth on the all-time saves list.

 

46. Clay Carroll, 1964-1978

Stats: 143 saves, 2.94 ERA, 1.284 WHIP, 1.54 K:BB, 121 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring

If there was ever a workhorse reliever, Clay Carroll is that pitcher. Aside from a 37-save season in 1972, he never even topped 20. But seven times he topped 100 innings, three times he reached 140, and he earned Cy Young or MVP votes in three different seasons. Carroll had 25 saves of three-plus innings and 11 saves of four-plus innings. Only one pitcher in history has more four-inning saves than Carroll.

Carroll was a phenomenal postseason pitcher as well, hurling 32.1 career innings with a 1.39 ERA in the playoffs. Three times he pitched in the World Series and he limited the AL’s best to a 1.33 ERA.

 

45. Greg Holland, 2010-2019

Stats: 206 saves, 2.96 ERA, 1.196 WHIP, 2.84 K:BB, 144 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring

How about Greg Holland’s 2013-2014 seasons for reference?

2013: 1.21 ERA, 47 saves, 0.866 WHIP, 5.72 K:BB

2014: 1.44 ERA, 46 saves, 0.914 WHIP, 4.50 K:BB

That’s ridiculous dominance. Throw in a 1.80 ERA in 2011 and that means Holland entered 2015 with a 2.19 career ERA. Injury struck Holland late in ‘15 as he went under the knife in September, missed the team’s championship run after having undergone Tommy John surgery, and then had to settle for a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies afterwards.

Holland rebounded strong to lead the NL in saves (41) in 2017 and make the All-Star team. After bouncing between three teams over the next two years, it’s clear he’s not the same player, but still good enough to get into the top 50.

 

44. Francisco Cordero, 1999-2012

Stats: 329 saves, 3.38 ERA, 1.365 WHIP, 2.12 K:BB, 135 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances

Francisco Cordero may have been a journeyman closer who changed teams frequently, but he was a pretty good one. He saved 49 games with a 2.13 ERA for the 2004 Texas Rangers, then saved 44 games with the 2007 Milwaukee Brewers and 40 games with the 2010 Cincinnati Reds. His 329 saves rank 16^th all-time and he actually recorded over 300 of them in an eight-year span.

Surprisingly enough, Cordero never pitched in a single playoff game. The closest he got was with the 2010 Reds who won their division but got swept in the NLDS before Cordero could throw a pitch.

 

43. Keith Foulke, 1997-2008

Stats: 191 saves, 3.33 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, 3.70 K:BB, 140 ERA+

Accolades: 1 All-Star appearance, 1 Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring

Keith Foulke is on here for just six seasons, only five of which he was a closer. He accomplished quite a lot during the years from 1999-2004, earning Cy Young votes with the Chicago White Sox, leading the AL in saves in his lone season with Oakland, and then playing a pivotal role in the 2004 Boston Red Sox that reversed the curse.

Foulke threw three shutout innings in the ALDS, six one-hit shutout innings in the ALCS, and then allowed a single run in five innings in the World Series.

 

42. Jeff Montgomery, 1987-1999

Stats: 304 saves, 3.27 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 2.48 K:BB, 135 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award

Closers don’t usually last a decade-plus with the same team, but such was the case for Jeff Montgomery, who pitched for Kansas City from 1988 through 1999. Montgomery is on this list much more for the first half of his career than the second, but for the five-year stretch from 1989-’93, Montgomery posted a 2.22 ERA, made two All-Star teams, and led the league in saves once.

Even with his late career numbers in which he posted an ERA over 4.00 in four of his last six seasons, Montgomery still finished with a 135 ERA+.

 

41. John Smoltz, 2001-2004 (as reliever)

Stats (as reliever): 154 saves, 2.41 ERA, 0.976 WHIP, 5.60 K:BB, 168 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award

After a decade-plus as a starter that included 157 wins and a Cy Young award, Atlanta made the decision to move John Smoltz to the bullpen as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and the results were four years of one-inning dominance.

Smoltz posted a 2.41 ERA, saving 154 of 168 games (91.7 percent), and set a National League record with 55 saves in his first full year as a closer (2002). Over an 18-month span from April 2002 to September 2003, Smoltz had a 1.83 ERA. By the start of 2005, he made the seamless transition back to being a Hall of Fame starter, and there’s every reason to think he’d be in the top five on this list had he always been a closer.

 

40. Jose Valverde, 2003-2014

Stats: 288 saves, 3.27 ERA, 1.196 WHIP, 2.62 K:BB, 133 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 2x Rolaids Relief award

The most incredible aspect of Jose Valverde’s career was that he seemed to lead the league in saves wherever he went and yet he always changed teams. He led the NL with 47 for the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks, did it again with 44 for the 2008 Houston Astros, and then led the AL with 49 for the 2011 Detroit Tigers.

In his ’11 year, he pulled off the remarkable achievement of going 49-for-49 in save opportunities. He won the Rolaids Relief award in both 2007 and 2011, although he was horrific in the postseason. Valverde was 0-3 with a 9.82 ERA in 14.2 innings, allowing multiple runs in four of his final five appearances. In his lone World Series outing, he gave up four hits to five batters and was charged with two earned runs.

 

39. Joe Page, 1944-1954

Stats: 76 saves, 3.53 ERA, 1.453 WHIP, 1.23 K:BB, 106 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances

Joe Page holds the distinction of one of the greatest single-game relief appearances in MLB postseason history, even better than anything the future GOAT in Mariano Rivera did. In Game 7 of the 1947 World Series, Page entered the game with his team up 3-2 in the fifth inning. He threw five shutout innings, allowing only a solo hit in the ninth inning before inducing a series-ending double play.

If saves actually existed back then, Page would be much more appreciated. He set a new major league record with 27 in 1949, but no one even knew about this record for 20 years because the save hadn’t yet been invented. The sportswriters recognized he was valuable, voting him top four in the AL MVP voting twice in a three-year span. Still, a shortened career and lack of general recognition for relief pitchers back then has buried him in baseball lore.

 

38. Jason Isringhausen, 1995-2012

Stats: 300 saves, 3.64 ERA, 1.328 WHIP, 1.90 K:BB, 115 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances

Jason Isringhausen entered his age-28 season as a failed starter turned mediocre reliever with a 18-22 career record and a below-league average adjusted ERA. And then he rattled off eight consecutive quality seasons, averaging 34 saves with a 2.72 ERA during that time.

Isringhausen first saw success with the pre-Moneyball Oakland A’s but they let him walk and he continued his stellar play with the St. Louis Cardinals. Isringhausen was a terrific postseason pitcher, allowing a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 innings in October ball.

 

37. Jesse Orosco, 1979-2003

Stats: 144 saves, 3.16 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, 2.03 K:BB, 126 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 2 World Series rings

Jesse Orosco’s best quality as a relief pitcher was that he was always there and always available. He holds the all-time major league record with having appeared in 1,252 games, all but four of those in relief. That’s pretty remarkable considering he barely pitched at all until age 25.

Orosco holds the record with 18 seasons of 50+ games pitched. He pitched in 371 games after turning 40 years old. He made a pair of All-Star teams and won a World Series with both the 1986 Mets and the 1988 Dodgers. He was never dominant and rarely served as his team’s closer but he made the lefty specialist a thing, and he finished with a pretty impressive 126 ERA+.

 

36. Rob Dibble, 1988-1995

Stats: 89 saves, 2.98 ERA, 1.195 WHIP, 2.71 K:BB, 129 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances

Rob Dibble basically rewrote the record book for strikeouts by relief pitchers over a four-year span from 1989-1992. Dibble recorded his 500^th career strikeout faster than any other pitcher in history up to that point (368 innings). His 141 in 1989 were a single-season record (since broken) for a pitcher who didn’t top 100 innings. He was the first relief pitcher ever to strike out 13 batters per nine innings (13.55 in 1991) and then the first to reach 14 (14.08 in 1992).

And Dibble was a major factor in the Reds’ World Series championship in 1990. He was the NLCS MVP, throwing five hitless innings with 10 strikeouts across four appearances. And then he threw 4.2 more shutout innings in the World Series sweep. What ultimately keeps him from ranking higher are the eventual arm injuries that kept him at just five effective seasons.

 

35. John Hiller, 1965-1980

Stats: 125 saves, 2.83 ERA, 1.268 WHIP, 1.94 K:BB, 134 ERA+

Accolades: 1 All-Star appearance, 1 World Series ring

John Hiller holds the distinction of having had the greatest season by WAR by a relief pitcher in baseball history, and that will never be broken. He pitched 125.1 innings in 1973 and registered 7.9 WAR; relievers never pitch close to that much anymore and therefore won’t touch that WAR. Hiller’s season in a nutshell: a major-league best 38 saves, 10 relief wins, a 1.44 ERA, a 3.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a fourth place finish in the AL MVP race.

Hiller never had more than 15 saves except for that one year, but he was steadily a spectacular relief pitcher. Most impressively about Hiller, he spent his entire 15-year career with the same franchise.

 

34. Dave Righetti, 1979-1995

Stats: 252 saves, 3.46 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 1.88 K:BB, 114 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Rookie of the Year award, 1 Rolaids Relief award

Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz are notable starting pitchers to move from the rotation to the bullpen, but Dave Righetti did it without missing a beat. After winning the 1981 AL Rookie of the Year award, leading the league in FIP two of the first three years, and throwing a no-hitter, the Yankees moved him to the bullpen to replace Goose Gossage.

In his first season as closer, Righetti posted a 2.34 ERA and saved 31 games. He led the majors with 46 saves in 1986, setting a new single-season record. When Righetti retired after 1995, he owned the career record for saves (252) by a left-handed pitcher.

 

33. Lindy McDaniel, 1955-1975

Stats: 174 saves, 3.45 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 2.18 K:BB, 110 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances

Lindy McDaniel helped to modernize the relief pitcher role; in fact, when he retired, the only pitchers with 900+ games on the mound were Hoyt Wilhelm (1,070) and Cy Young (906). McDaniel pretty much did everything for his teams over 20 years – he was a solid starter, led the NL in saves three times in a five-year period, and holds the all-time record for most batters faced in the eighth inning in his career.

His 174 saves have fallen to 70^th on the all-time list given the advent of the modern day one-inning closer, but McDaniel ranked fourth when he retired in 1975.

 

32. Huston Street, 2005-2017

Stats: 324 saves, 2.95 ERA, 1.066 WHIP, 3.63 K:BB, 141 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Rookie of the Year award

Huston Street broke into the major leagues with a bang, posting a 1.72 ERA and winning the American League Rookie of the Year award. Oakland was always a frugal team and was never going to sign Street to a long-term deal so they traded him to Colorado after four successful seasons, and then Street ended up pitching for San Diego for parts of three years and the Angels for the end of his career.

Street was a star wherever he went. He posted a 150 ERA+ with Oakland, 133 with Colorado, 172 with San Diego, and 114 with the Angels. Street currently ranks 19^th on the all-time saves list.

 

31. Doug Jones, 1982-2000

Stats: 303 saves, 3.30 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 3.68 K:BB, 129 ERA+

Accolades: 5 All-Star appearances

Nothing about Doug Jones was what you’d think of a conventional closer. He threw slow, topping out in the mid-80s with his fastball. His primary pitch was a changeup, his strikeouts were low, and he changed teams constantly, pitching for eight in all.

Jones’ best attribute was his pinpoint control, walking just 1.98 batters per nine innings for his career. He retired in the top 12 in saves and he still stands as seventh on FanGraphs’ all-time list for career WAR by a relief pitcher (21.8).

 

30. Kent Tekulve, 1974-1989

Stats: 184 saves, 2.85 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 1.59 K:BB, 132 ERA+

Accolades: 1 All-Star appearance, 1 World Series ring

Kent Tekulve was an absolute workhorse of a relief pitcher. He retired with the career record for relief appearances (1,050), led the league in games four times, and pitched an absurd 90 games at age 40. In 37 percent of his appearances from 1978-1979, Tekulve pitched with no days rest.

Tekulve wasn’t your traditional closer, more operating as a relief pitcher who just pitched whenever his team needed him. He did save 30 games twice, fashioned an impressive three in the 1979 World Series, and also holds one of the strangest records ever – he intentionally walked 179 batters in his career.

 

29. Dellin Betances, 2011-2019

Stats: 36 saves, 2.36 ERA, 1.043 WHIP, 3.65 K:BB, 177 ERA+

Accolades: 4 All-Star appearances

Dellin Betances is the highest-rated relief pitcher on this list who has never served as his team’s closer, which is a product of being on a team first with David Robertson and then with Aroldis Chapman. Interestingly enough, he’s been every bit as dominant as both of them and perhaps better.

Among pitchers in the last 100 years with at least 300 innings pitched, Betances is second to Chapman in strikeout rate (14.64 K/9), third in batting average allowed (.170), fourth in FIP (2.31), and seventh in ERA (2.36). He’s equally dominant against both righties and lefties. And if he comes back in 2020 from his torn Achilles tendon last year, he’s only going to move up this list.

 

28. Jeff Reardon, 1979-1994

Stats: 367 saves, 3.16 ERA, 1.199 WHIP, 2.45 K:BB, 122 ERA+

Accolades: 4 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring

There have been six pitchers to hold the career record for saves in the last 50 years – Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Jeff Reardon, Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, and Mariano Rivera. All of them held the record for at least five years except for Reardon, who briefly passed Fingers in 1992 only to see Smith take over the mark the following season.

Reardon never was as dominant as the other five, but he was still a very effective closer. Four times he earned All-Star appearances. He had seven 30-save seasons, led the league once, and pitched 4.2 shutout innings for the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.

 

27. Roy Face, 1953-1969

Stats: 191 saves, 3.48 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 2.42 K:BB, 109 ERA+

Accolades: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring

One of the original star relief pitchers when it became a thing, Roy Face still holds one of major league baseball’s most impressive records. Pitching solely in relief in 1959, he picked up an incredible 18 wins, finishing the year 18-1 (after starting 17-0) with a still-standing single-season record .947 winning percentage.

Face was the first relief pitcher to record 20 saves in a season multiple times, he led the league three times, and at one point he held the career record for saves. Most impressively, he did this in an era in which relief pitchers frequently entered the game in jams rather than facing a clean ninth inning. Face was an integral part of the Pirates’ 1960 World Series championship, accumulating 10.1 innings and three saves in four appearances.

 

26. Randy Myers, 1985-1999

Stats: 347 saves, 3.19 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, 2.23 K:BB, 123 ERA+

Accolades: 4 All-Star appearances, 2x Rolaids Relief awards, 1 NLCS MVP award, 1 World Series ring

After playing a very small role on the 1986 New York Mets (and not even making the postseason roster), Randy Myers went on to have playoff success for a number of different teams. He was the closer and NLCS MVP for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds that won the World Series. In fact, he started his postseason career with 19.1 consecutive scoreless innings.

In the regular season, Myers led the AL or NL in saves three times in five years, including a new NL record 53 in 1993. His ERA was never as low as you’d think for a closer probably because of how many batters he walked, but still, a 123 ERA+ is pretty solid.

 

25. Eric Gagne, 1999-2008

Stats: 187 saves, 3.47 ERA, 1.156 WHIP, 3.18 K:BB, 119 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award, 2 Rolaids Relief awards, 1 World Series ring

Eric Gagne made this list for exactly three seasons but my word were they unbelievably dominant seasons. Gagne’s body of work from 2002-’04 stacks up against anything any reliever has ever done, and his 2003 season is probably the greatest of any relief pitcher ever:

55 saves in 55 opportunities

1.20 ERA, 0.86 FIP

.133 batting average allowed

15.0 K.9, 6.85 K:BB ratio

Gagne won the league’s Cy Young award in a landslide. Over his aforementioned three years, he converted 152 of 158 saves including a still-standing MLB record of 84 in a row. He was as automatic as any closer can possibly be, and then injuries happened, and that was it. He won’t make the Hall of Fame, but no one can ever take those three years away.

 

24. Robb Nen, 1993-2002

Stats: 314 saves, 2.98 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 3.05 K:BB, 139 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring

Robb Nen owns the distinction of perhaps the greatest final season ever – he recorded a 2.20 ERA, saved 43 games, and fashioned a tremendous 4.05 strikeout-to-walk ratio, in the process helping the Giants to Game 7 of the World Series. Nen was pitching through a rotator cuff injury at the time and proceeded to miss the next two seasons as a whole before retiring.

For his 10 years, Nen was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the game. He had a fastball in the upper nineties and a tough slider, and used that to average 39 saves and a 10.5 K/9 rate over his final seven seasons.

 

23. Troy Percival, 1995-2009

Stats: 358 saves, 3.17 ERA, 1.108 WHIP, 2.55 K:BB, 146 ERA+
Accolades: 4 All-Star appearances, 1 World Series ring

It’s rare for a relief pitcher to stay in the same organization for a full decade in a row, but such was the case for Troy Percival. He never led the league in saves during that span, which is the result of pitching during the Mariano Rivera era, but he still averaged racked up over 300 of them with a 2.99 ERA.

In his prime, Percival had a fastball that pushed triple digits, and he was a key factor in the Angels’ 2002 World Championship win.

 

22. John Wetteland, 1989-2000

Stats: 330 saves, 2.93 ERA, 1.135 WHIP, 3.19 K:BB, 148 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring, 1 World Series MVP

Mariano Rivera is the greatest reliever ever and will always be known as a core four member of the New York Yankees dynasty, but did you know John Wetteland actually won World Series MVP for the 1996 club? Wettleland led the AL with 43 saves in the regular season, then recorded four consecutive saves to close out the ’96 World Series.

The Yankees knew they had Rivera waiting, so they let Wetteland leave in free agency that offseason. He retired after the expiration of his four-year deal with Texas and remains the only AL pitcher to finish his career with six straight 30-save seasons.

 

21. Tom Henke, 1982-1995

Stats: 311 saves, 2.67 ERA, 1.092 WHIP, 3.38 K:BB, 157 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring

No one ever talks about Tom Henke, but he’s sixth among the 300-save pitchers in ERA+ (157) and was consistently one of the top several relievers in the game for his whole career. Henke’s 2.53 ERA from 1985-1993 was fourth-best during that span (min. 300 relief appearances).

And he was a strikeout pitcher before it was a thing for relievers to rack up high K totals. His 11.63 K/9 rate in 1986 set a new single-season record for relievers and then he broke his own mark with a 12.26 K/9 clip in 1987. Henke was a dominant force for the 1992 world champion Toronto Blue Jays, throwing eight strong playoff innings.

 

20. Firpo Marberry, 1923-1936

Stats: 99 saves, 3.63 ERA, 1.323 WHIP, 1.20 K:BB, 116 ERA+

Accolades: 1 World Series ring

Firpo Marberry is unofficially the first relief pitcher in the game’s history, meaning he was the first non-starter that would enter the game solely to protect a lead. Credit Washington Senators boy wonder manager Bucky Harris for that idea. Marberry was a key component of the 1924 championship team, leading the AL in games (50), games finished (31), and saves (15) during the regular season, then posting a 1.13 ERA in eight World Series innings in the fall.

Over a nine-year span with Washington, Marberry led the league in saves six times. Here’s proof that it was a different era: He set a new record with 15 in 1924, then broke his own record with 16 the following year, and then did it again with 22 in 1926, a record that stood for over two decades.

 

19. Sparky Lyle, 1967-1982

Stats: 238 saves, 2.88 ERA, 1.275 WHIP, 1.82 K:BB, 128 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award, 2 World Series rings

Like the 1970s Oakland Athletics with Rollie Fingers, the New York Yankees were blessed to have superb relief pitchers – first Sparky Lyle and then Goose Gossage. Lyle was the first AL relief pitcher to ever win the Cy Young, taking home the award in a 1977 season that saw him post a 13-5 record with a 2.17 ERA and 26 saves.

Surprisingly enough, the Yankees felt it was necessary to upgrade the closer position with Gossage the next year, eventually shipping Lyle to Texas. It was the right move, as Lyle bounced around the league for the next few years. But what he did give the Yankees in the ‘70s is enough to put him on the top 20 in this list – a 2.41 ERA across 400+ games, three All-Star appearances, the Cy Young, and a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 career World Series innings.

 

18. Mike Marshall, 1967-1981

Stats: 188 saves, 3.14 ERA, 1.294 WHIP, 1.71 K:BB, 118 ERA+

Accolades: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award

It’s an absolute guarantee that we’ll never again see a relief pitcher like Mike Marshall, so let’s take a moment and appreciate how great he was. Marshall pitched in a single-season record 106 games, a full 12 more than any other pitcher has ever done. He set a record by finishing 83 of them (and then broke his own record with 84 in 1979). His 208.1 innings pitched are 27.2 more than any other reliever. Marshal led the NL in saves (21), won 15 games, posted a 2.42 ERA, and was rightfully awarded the Cy Young award. It’s still one of the greatest relief seasons of all-time.

Marshall’s durability as a relief pitcher is what puts him on this list. Five times he led all pitchers in games finished, four times in games, and three times in saves. Despite not racking up a high number of saves by today’s standards, Marshall was tremendous for his era, finishing in the top seven in Cy Young votes five times.

 

17. John Franco, 1984-2005

Stats: 424 saves, 2.89 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, 1.97 K:BB, 138 ERA+

Accolades: 4 All-Star appearances, 2x Rolaids Relief award

A left-handed reliever who pitched forever, John Franco finished his 21-year career with over 1,100 games in relief (without a start!), a total that has only been topped by three other pitchers in history. He quickly fell off the Hall of Fame ballot in his first year of eligibility, but his numbers speak for themselves.

Franco is fifth all-time with 424 saves, led the league three times, and posted a better career ERA+ (138) than 16 of the 30 members of the 300-save club. He had an ERA at least 25 percent better than the league average in 15 of his first 19 seasons.

 

16. Dan Quisenberry, 1979-1990

Stats: 244 saves, 2.76 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 2.34 K:BB, 146 ERA+

Accolades: 3 All-Star appearances, 5x Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring

Dan Quisenberry’s peak was short but probably more dominant than he’s remembered for. He finished in the top three in Cy Young voting a ridiculous four years in a row, led the AL in saves five times, and won a World Series with the 1985 Kansas City Royals. This is all despite being an unconventional sidearm pitcher who struck out a low number of batters while inducing a ton of ground balls.

That may not fly in today’s era but it worked in the ‘80s. Quisenberry was incredibly accurate as well, finishing with the lowest walk rate (1.4 per nine innings) of any pitcher in the last 95 years. And he wasn’t a one-inning reliever either; his 1984 season included a single-season record 27 multi-inning saves.

 

15. Francisco Rodriguez, 2002-2017

Stats: 437 saves, 2.86 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, 2.94 K:BB, 148 ERA+

Accolades: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award, 1 World Series ring

In a different world, K-Rod might be a Hall of Famer. He’s fourth all-time in saves, led the league four times, racked up 40 or more in a season six times, and still holds the single-season record with 62 in 2008. He’s finished top four in the Cy Young award voting on three occasions, posted a career ERA+ of 148, and turned in an amazing World Series performance in 2002.

And yet it’s difficult to overlook the multiple off-the-field issues involving domestic abuse. Changing teams so many times doesn’t help either. You can put K-Rod in the class of players like Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte – great players that won’t end up in Cooperstown.

 

14. Kenley Jansen, 2010-2019

Stats: 301 saves, 2.35 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, 5.68 K:BB, 163 ERA+

Accolades: 3x All-Star appearances

Lots of closers post gaudy numbers and high strikeout totals during today’s baseball, but still, Kenley Jansen stands out among the best, just a tick below the dominance of Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman.

Jansen has a 2.35 career ERA, over 300 saves, and his 5.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks as the highest in baseball history for pitchers with at least 500 innings. And while he’s not Mariano Rivera in the postseason, Jansen has a 2.01 ERA for himself and 70 strikeouts in just 49.1 innings. He will have a hard time making Cooperstown considering he will be up against both Kimbrel and Chapman, but don’t rule out him eventually working his way into the top 10 on this list.

 

13. Joe Nathan, 1999-2016

Stats: 377 saves, 2.87 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, 2.84 K:BB, 151 ERA+

Accolades: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 Rolaids Relief award

Joe Nathan flew under the radar to Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman and Eric Gagne and Jonathan Papelbon, but in his prime, he was Hall of Fame worthy. Over a six-year stretch from 2004 through 2009, these were Nathan’s single-season ERAs: 1.62, 2.70, 1.58, 1.88, 1.33, and 2.10. His 1.33 ERA in 2008 is better than any season Rivera has ever had – and Rivera is the unquestioned closer of all-time. For those six years as a whole, Nathan allowed a 1.87 ERA and a .188 batting average.

Nathan sure didn’t enjoy the postseason success of Rivera (8.10 ERA in 10 innings). But in the regular season for one inning save opportunities, it’s tough to top Nathan’s dominance and this stat proves it – among all pitchers in history with 200+ saves, Nathan’s 89.33 save percentage is the best ever.

 

12. Lee Smith, 1980-1997

Stats: 478 saves, 3.03 ERA, 1.256 WHIP, 2.57 K:BB, 132 ERA+

Accolades: 7 All-Star appearances, 3x Rolaids Relief awards, Hall of Fame

Until Trevor Hoffman and then Mariano Rivera came along, it was Lee Smith who held baseball’s career record for saves (478). Smith garnered 30 or more 10 times, 40 or more three seasons, and led the league four times. His career spanned from the era of the multi-inning to that of the strictly ninth inning closer, and gave him a 29.4 WAR that ranks third-best among all relievers in the last 50 years.

It’s surprising that a great closer like Smith changed teams so often, pitching for eight different organizations over an 11-year span from 1987 to the end of his career. He failed to make the Hall of Fame on the initial ballot, topping out at just over 50 percent of the votes on 15 tries before the Today’s Game committee of 16 members elected him in in 2019.

It’s one of baseball’s fallacies that a team of 16 people held the power to overturn a decade and a half of votes from the BBWAA; still, there are worse HOF inductions than Smith. He’s comfortably in the top 10-15 relief pitchers of all-time.

 

11. Bruce Sutter, 1976-1988

Stats: 300 saves, 2.83 ERA, 1.140 WHIP, 2.79 K:BB, 136 ERA+

Accolades: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 Cy Young award, 1 World Series ring, 4x Rolaids Relief awards, Baseball Hall of Fame

Bruce Sutter holds the distinction of becoming the first pitcher ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame without having started a single game. He threw a devastating split-fingered fastball, leading the league in saves five times in six years, including a record-tying 45 in 1984.

Sutter was routinely seen as one of the best pitchers in the game, finishing in the top six in Cy Young award voting five times and winning it in 1979 when he led the majors in saves, fashioned an incredible 1.79 FIP, and struck out over a batter per inning. If he hadn’t seen his career shortened to numerous surgeries, there’s a chance Sutter would have cruised to well over 400 or 450 saves.

 

 

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