- Mariano Rivera has the most saves in playoff history with 42.
- Second-placed Kenley Jansen (20) has less than half Rivera’s total.
- Just seven players have more than 10 postseason saves.
Relievers will never face more pressure than trying to secure a save in the postseason. It’s when closers can become the face of an iconic moment for their franchise or can let down an entire fanbase.
The quality of a bullpen and the reliability of the closer are factors to carefully consider when evaluating World Series odds.
Most Career Postseason Saves
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Saves |
| 1 | Mariano Rivera | New York Yankees | 42 |
| 2 | Kenley Jansen | Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves | 20 |
| 3 | Brad Lidge | Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies | 18 |
| 4 | Dennis Eckersley | Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals | 15 |
| 5 | Ryan Pressly | Houston Astros | 14 |
| T-6 | Jason Isringhausen | Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals | 11 |
| T-6 | Robb Nen | Florida Marlins, San Francisco Giants | 11 |
| T-8 | Aroldis Chapman | Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees | 10 |
| T-8 | Craig Kimbrel | Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies | 10 |
| T-10 | Mark Wohlers | Atlanta Braves | 9 |
| T-10 | Rollie Fingers | Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers | 9 |
| T-12 | Trevor Rosenthal | St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres | 8 |
| T-12 | Wade Davis | Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs | 8 |
| T-12 | Jason Motte | St. Louis Cardinals | 8 |
| T-12 | Randy Myers | Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles | 8 |
| T-12 | Rich Gossage | New York Yankees, San Diego Padres | 8 |
| T-12 | Tug McGraw | New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies | 8 |
With a 0.70 playoff ERA and 42 saves, Mariano Rivera is in a league of his own. No one else has even recorded half as many postseason saves as Rivera, and his ERA is the best of this group by a significant margin. Wade Davis has the second-best ERA at 1.80.
Rivera put up some unmatched numbers because the Yankees were a perennial playoff team throughout his career.
Baseball odds invariably ranked them as one of the favourites to win it all. Rivera appeared in seven World Series, winning five, and only missed the playoffs in 2008, 2012, and 2013.
While Rivera’s longevity earns him the top spot by a distance, he’s not in the group of six pitchers that share the record for the most saves in a postseason.
Koji Uehara, John Wetteland, Greg Holland, Troy Percival, Brad Lidge, and Robb Nen are the only pitchers in MLB history to record seven saves in a single playoff.
Mariano Rivera, the all-time leader in saves with 652, is considered the greatest closer in history.
Rivera made 13 All-Star teams and helped lead the New York Yankees to five World Series championships, notching the final out in four of them. In 2019 he became the first player… pic.twitter.com/OzeyuJ0X5l
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2024
Such an emphatic lead in this category means Rivera is also miles ahead in playoff WPA and cWPA. He was at his best in the ALDS, giving up just two earned runs in 56 innings.
Holland recorded all seven of his saves when the Kansas City Royals made the World Series in 2014. Davis picked up four saves in the following season as the Royals won the Fall Classic. He added four more as a Chicago Cub to leave him level with Trevor Rosenthal, Jason Motte, Rich Gossage, Randy Myers, and Tug McGraw.
Craig Kimbrel, one of the greatest relief pitchers ever, has pitched for five different teams in the postseason but has only recorded saves with three of them.
Kimbrel’s 4.50 postseason ERA is the worst of any pitcher featured on this list. He has a 1.43 WHIP in the playoffs, compared with 1.01 in the regular season.
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