Year by Year Leaders for Saves

Ever wonder who had the most saves the year you were born? How about pitchers from you favorite team — have they ever led the league in saves? Baseball Almanac is pleased to present a year-by-year leaderboard in Major League saves for every season since 1901. Note: A bold faced entry denotes that the player was active during the previous Major League season.

"I want them to think I'm crazy." - Saves Leader (1975) Al 'The Mud Hungarian' Hrabosky
Saves
Year-By-Year Leaders

'1901 to 2005'

Year American League S Team Year National League S Team
1901

Bill Hoffer

3

Cleveland

1901

Bill Donovan

3

Brooklyn

Jack Powell

St. Louis

1902

Jack Powell

2

St. Louis

1902

Vic Willis

3

Boston

1903

Bill Dinneen

2

Boston

1903

Carl Lundgren

3

Chicago

George Mullin

Detroit

Al Orth

Washington

Jack Powell

St. Louis

Roscoe Miller

New York

Cy Young

Boston

1904

Case Patten

3

Washington

1904

Joe McGinnity

5

New York

1905

Jim Buchanan

2

St. Louis

1905

Claud Elliott

6

New York

1906

Chief Bender

3

Philadelphia

1906

George Ferguson

7

New York

Otto Hess

Cleveland

1907

Bill Dinneen

4

Boston

1907

Joe McGinnity

4

New York

St. Louis

Tom Hughes

Washington

Ed Walsh

Chicago

1908

Ed Walsh

6

Chicago

1908

Mordecai Brown

5

Chicago

Christy Mathewson

New York

Joe McGinnity

1909

Frank Arellanes

8

Boston

1909

Mordecai Brown

7

Chicago

1910

Ed Walsh

5

Chicago

1910

Mordecai Brown

7

Chicago

Harry Gaspar

Cincinnati

1911

Charley Hall

4

Boston

1911

Mordecai Brown

13

Chicago

Eddie Plank

Philadelphia

Ed Walsh

Chicago

1912

Ed Walsh

10

Chicago

1912

Slim Sallee

6

St. Louis

1913

Chief Bender

13

Philadelphia

1913

Larry Cheney

11

Chicago

1914

Jack Bentley

4

Washington

1914

Red Ames

6

Cincinnati

Hooks Dauss

Detroit

Red Faber

Chicago

Roy Mitchell

St. Louis

Slim Sallee

St. Louis

Jim Shaw

Washington

1915

Carl Mays

7

Boston

1915

Tom Hughes

9

Boston

1916

Bob Shawkey

8

New York

1916

Red Ames

8

St. Louis

1917

Dave Danforth

9

Chicago

1917

Slim Sallee

4

New York

1918

George Mogridge

7

New York

1918

Fred Anderson

3

New York

Wilbur Cooper

Pittsburgh

Joe Oeschger

Philadelphia

Fred Toney

New York

1919

Allan Russell

5

New York

1919

Oscar Tuero

4

St. Louis

Boston

Jim Shaw

Washington

Bob Shawkey

New York

1920

Dickie Kerr

5

Chicago

1920

Bill Sherdel

6

St. Louis

Urban Shocker

St. Louis

1921

Carl Mays

7

New York

1921

Lou North

7

St. Louis

Jim Middleton

Detroit

1922

Sam Jones

8

New York

1922

Claude Jonnard

5

New York

1923

Allan Russell

9

Washington

1923

Claude Jonnard

5

New York

1924

Firpo Marberry

15

Washington

1924

Jakie May

6

Cincinnati

1925

Firpo Marberry

15

Washington

1925

Guy Bush

4

Chicago

Johnny Morrison

Pittsburgh

1926

Firpo Marberry

22

Washington

1926

Chick Davies

6

New York

1927

Garland Braxton

13

Washington

1927

Bill Sherdel

6

St. Louis

Wilcy Moore

New York

1928

Waite Hoyt

8

New York

1928

Hal Haid

5

St. Louis

Bill Sherdel

1929

Firpo Marberry

11

Washington

1929

Guy Bush

8

Chicago

Johnny Morrison

Brooklyn

1930

Lefty Grove

9

Philadelphia

1930

Hi Bell

8

St. Louis

1931

Wilcy Moore

10

Boston

1931

Jack Quinn

15

Brooklyn

1932

Firpo Marberry

13

Washington

1932

Jack Quinn

8

Brooklyn

1933

Jack Russell

13

Washington

1933

Phil Collins

6

Philadelphia

1934

Jack Russell

7

Washington

1934

Carl Hubbell

8

New York

1935

Jack Knott

7

St. Louis

1935

Dutch Leonard

8

Brooklyn

1936

Pat Malone

9

New York

1936

Dizzy Dean

11

St. Louis

1937

Clint Brown

18

Chicago

1937

Mace Brown

7

Pittsburgh

Cliff Melton

New York

1938

Johnny Murphy

11

New York

1938

Dick Coffman

12

New York

1939

Johnny Murphy

19

New York

1939

Bob Bowman

9

St. Louis

Clyde Shoun

1940

Al Benton

17

Detroit

1940

Joe Beggs

7

Cincinnati

Jumbo Brown

New York

Mace Brown

Pittsburgh

1941

Johnny Murphy

15

New York

1941

Jumbo Brown

8

New York

1942

Johnny Murphy

11

New York

1942

Hugh Casey

13

Brooklyn

1943

Gordon Maltzberger

14

Chicago

1943

Les Webber

10

Brooklyn

1944

Joe Berry

12

Philadelphia

1944

Ace Adams

13

New York

George Caster

St. Louis

Gordon Maltzberger

Chicago

1945

Jim Turner

10

New York

1945

Ace Adams

15

New York

Andy Karl

Philadelphia

1946

Bob Klinger

9

Boston

1946

Ken Raffensberger

6

Philadelphia

1947

Ed Klieman

17

Cleveland

1947

Hugh Casey

18

Brooklyn

Joe Page

New York

1948

Russ Christopher

17

Cleveland

1948

Harry Gumbert

17

Cincinnati

1949

Joe Page

27

New York

1949

Ted Wilks

9

St. Louis

1950

Mickey Harris

15

Washington

1950

Jim Konstanty

22

Philadelphia

1951

Ellis Kinder

14

Boston

1951

Ted Wilks

13

St. Louis

Pittsburgh

1952

Harry Dorish

11

Chicago

1952

Al Brazle

16

St. Louis

1953

Ellis Kinder

27

Boston

1953

Al Brazle

18

St. Louis

1954

Johnny Sain

22

New York

1954

Jim Hughes

24

Brooklyn

1955

Ray Narleski

19

Cleveland

1955

Jack Meyer

16

Philadelphia

1956

George Zuverink

16

Baltimore

1956

Clem Labine

19

Brooklyn

1957

Bob Grim

19

New York

1957

Clem Labine

17

Brooklyn

1958

Ryne Duren

20

New York

1958

Roy Face

20

Pittsburgh

1959

Turk Lown

15

Chicago

1959

Lindy McDaniel

15

St. Louis

Don McMahon

Milwaukee

1960

Mike Fornieles

14

Boston

1960

Lindy McDaniel

26

St. Louis

Johnny Klippstein

Cleveland

1961

Luis Arroyo

29

New York

1961

Roy Face

17

Pittsburgh

Stu Miller

San Francisco

1962

Dick Radatz

24

Boston

1962

Roy Face

28

Pittsburgh

1963

Stu Miller

27

Baltimore

1963

Lindy McDaniel

22

Chicago

1964

Dick Radatz

29

Boston

1964

Hal Woodeshick

23

Houston

1965

Ron Kline

29

Washington

1965

Ted Abernathy

31

Chicago

1966

Jack Aker

32

Kansas City

1966

Phil Regan

21

Los Angeles

1967

Minnie Rojas

27

California

1967

Ted Abernathy

28

Cincinnati

1968

Al Worthington

18

Minnesota

1968

Phil Regan

25

Los Angeles

Chicago

1969

Ron Perranoski

31

Minnesota

1969

Fred Gladding

29

Houston

1970

Ron Perranoski

34

Minnesota

1970

Wayne Granger

35

Cincinnati

1971

Ken Sanders

31

Milwaukee

1971

Dave Giusti

30

Pittsburgh

1972

Sparky Lyle

35

New York

1972

Clay Carroll

37

Cincinnati

1973

John Hiller

38

Detroit

1973

Mike Marshall

31

Montreal

1974

Terry Forster

24

Chicago

1974

Mike Marshall

21

Los Angeles

1975

Rich Gossage

26

Chicago

1975

Rawly Eastwick

22

Cincinnati

Al Hrabosky

St. Louis

1976

Sparky Lyle

23

New York

1976

Rawly Eastwick

26

Cincinnati

1977

Bill Campbell

31

Boston

1977

Rollie Fingers

35

San Diego

1978

Rich Gossage

27

New York

1978

Rollie Fingers

37

San Diego

1979

Mike Marshall

32

Minnesota

1979

Bruce Sutter

37

Chicago

1980

Rich Gossage

33

New York

1980

Bruce Sutter

28

Chicago

Dan Quisenberry

Kansas City

1981

Rollie Fingers

28

Milwaukee

1981

Bruce Sutter

25

St. Louis

1982

Dan Quisenberry

35

Kansas City

1982

Bruce Sutter

36

St. Louis

1983

Dan Quisenberry

45

Kansas City

1983

Lee Smith

29

Chicago

1984

Dan Quisenberry

44

Kansas City

1984

Bruce Sutter

45

St. Louis

1985

Dan Quisenberry

37

Kansas City

1985

Jeff Reardon

41

Montreal

1986

Dave Righetti

46

New York

1986

Todd Worrell

36

St. Louis

1987

Tom Henke

34

Toronto

1987

Steve Bedrosian

40

Philadelphia

1988

Dennis Eckersley

45

Oakland

1988

John Franco

39

Cincinnati

1989

Jeff Russell

38

Texas

1989

Mark Davis

44

San Diego

1990

Bobby Thigpen

57

Chicago

1990

John Franco

33

New York

1991

Bryan Harvey

46

California

1991

Lee Smith

47

St. Louis

1992

Dennis Eckersley

51

Oakland

1992

Lee Smith

43

St. Louis

1993

Jeff Montgomery

45

Kansas City

1993

Randy Myers

53

Chicago

Duane Ward

Toronto

1994

Lee Smith

33

Baltimore

1994

John Franco

30

New York

1995

Jose Mesa

46

Cleveland

1995

Randy Myers

38

Chicago

1996

John Wetteland

43

New York

1996

Jeff Brantley

44

Cincinnati

Todd Worrell

Los Angeles

1997

Randy Myers

45

Baltimore

1997

Jeff Shaw

42

Cincinnati

1998

Tom Gordon

46

Boston

1998

Trevor Hoffman

53

San Diego

1999

Mariano Rivera

45

New York

1999

Ugueth Urbina

41

Montreal

2000

Todd Jones

42

Detroit

2000

Antonio Alfonseca

43

Florida

Derek Lowe

Boston

2001

Mariano Rivera

50

New York

2001

Robb Nen

45

San Francisco

2002

Eddie Guardado

45

Minnesota

2002

John Smoltz

55

Atlanta

2003</