"Save situations"

[penguin4]

At the game yesterday, I was trying to explain to one of my non-basebally friends what a closer did. I told her that they came in at the end of "close games" and got the save. I tried to be as basic as possible -- that a "close game" meant down by 3 runs or less, and then when they had to bring Mo in after Gordon let two runners on in the ninth, had to modify that to "also, when the tying run is on deck." I know there's one or two other crazy things that constitute a save -- something like pitching a certain number of innings in relief regardless of the score -- but can't remember exactly what the rule is or specifically what all those instances are. Can anyone tell me the other ways a pitcher can get a save?

[Rich]

http://www.baseball1.com/faqs/glossary.html

Save Situation

A relief pitcher is in a save situation when:

1. he enters the game with his team in the lead,
2. is not the winning pitcher of record at the time, and any one of:

1. the lead is three runs or less and he pitches at least one inning,
2. the potential tying run is on base, at bat, or on deck, or
3. he pitches three or more innings effectively (in the judgement of the official scorer).

A pitcher MAY NOT create a save situation for himself; whether a save situation exists is determined by the conditions when the pitcher enters the game.

[Arod for President]

Perfectly put!