Saves : 1998 American League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"The baseball season - six months & 2,106 games - is flat out long, and it's a rare one of those games that doesn't ramble or sputter or digress or somehow violate the rules of dramatic narrative. Baseball takes its own sweet time reaching its conclusions." - Dwight Allen in Reds, Yanks and O's (1989)
 

1998 Saves Leaders

Top 25 in the American League

Tom Gordon 46 Boston Red Sox 1
Troy Percival 42 Anaheim Angels 2
John Wetteland 42 Texas Rangers  
Mike Jackson 40 Cleveland Indians 4
Rick Aguilera 38 Minnesota Twins 5
Jeff Montgomery 36 Kansas City Royals 6
Mariano Rivera 36 New York Yankees  
Billy Taylor 33 Oakland Athletics 8
Todd Jones 28 Detroit Tigers 9
Randy Myers 28 Toronto Blue Jays  
Roberto Hernandez 26 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 11
Armando Benitez 22 Baltimore Orioles 12
Mike Timlin 19 Seattle Mariners 13
Bill Simas 18 Chicago White Sox 14
Matt Karchner 11 Chicago White Sox 15
Bob Howry 9 Chicago White Sox 16
Bobby Ayala 8 Seattle Mariners 17
Jesse Orosco 7 Baltimore Orioles 18
Paul Quantrill 7 Toronto Blue Jays  
Robert Person 6 Toronto Blue Jays 20
Mike Stanton 6 New York Yankees  
Mike Fetters 5 Oakland Athletics 22
Anaheim Angels  
Shigetoshi Hasegawa 5 Anaheim Angels  
Derek Lowe 4 Boston Red Sox 24
Dan Plesac 4 Toronto Blue Jays  



Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

Did you know that more than forty players have worn the number twenty-five for the Boston Red Sox — including Jack Clark, Denny Galehouse, Dizzy Trout and Tony Conigliaro.

The first player from the Angels franchise (they were the California Angels at the time) to wear the number twenty-five was Bob Perry.