Bobby Thigpen's 57 Saves in 1990

In the early 1990's the role of the relief pitcher was changing, especially in regard to the role of the closer. Thanks to the success that A’s fireman Dennis Eckersley was having, every team was adding a closer and brining him in for the final inning. The Chicago White Sox were no exception. The Southsiders had Bobby Thigpen in their bullpen, and the righty did not disappoint. Thigpen set a record by notching fifty-seven saves in one season, shattering the old record of forty-six and the would-be new record Eckersley himself attempted to set at forty-eight by early September. Thigpen not only had the save record, he won four additional games and compiled a 1.83 ERA. He helped the Sox win ninety-four games in the 1990 season — twenty-five more than in 1989.

Thigpen may not have been as consistent as Eckersley or Lee Smith, but his record still stands as top among closers. Thigpen spoke of the record in the Clarion Ledger, "Friends are always bringing it up. Usually around the All-Star break, somebody will have thirty saves or so and guys will start asking me about. 'You think the record will hold up?' I hear it a lot."