Most Saves in MLB History

Mariano Rivera holds the MLB record for the most career saves, with 652 recorded across 19 seasons with the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2013. He passed Trevor Hoffman, who finished with 601, and the two remain the only pitchers in baseball history ever to reach 600 saves.

The save is the closer’s signature statistic, awarded to the reliever who finishes a tight win, and piling them up demands both dominance and durability across countless high-pressure ninth innings. The all-time leaderboard rewards pitchers who owned the last three outs for a decade or more, and at the very top sits the man widely regarded as the greatest closer ever. Here is the full leaderboard of baseball’s save leaders, the milestones behind them, and the context surrounding the record. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Mariano Rivera and 652 saves

Rivera built his record on a single, almost mythical pitch: a cut fastball that shattered bats and baffled hitters for nearly two decades. He spent his entire career with the Yankees, anchoring five World Series championship teams, and his postseason numbers, including a record 42 playoff saves, only deepen his legend.

The record stands as a monument to consistency. In 2019, Rivera became the first player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame unanimously, a fitting honor for a pitcher whose 652 saves outdistanced everyone else and whose calm under pressure defined the role.

The full leaderboard of career saves leaders

The table below ranks baseball’s all-time career saves leaders. Active players are noted.

Rank	Saves	Player	Career
1	652	Mariano Rivera	1995-2013
2	601	Trevor Hoffman	1993-2010
3	478	Lee Smith	1980-1997
4	460+*	Kenley Jansen	2010-present
5	440+*	Craig Kimbrel	2010-present
6	437	Francisco Rodríguez	2002-2017
7	424	John Franco	1984-2005
8	422	Billy Wagner	1995-2010
9	390	Dennis Eckersley	1975-1998
10	377	Joe Nathan	1999-2016

*Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are active; their totals are current through the 2025 season and still climbing.

The list traces the evolution of the modern bullpen, from Dennis Eckersley, who helped define the one-inning closer role in the late 1980s, through the save-hoarding primes of Hoffman and Rivera, to active arms like Kenley Jansen still adding to their tallies.

Trevor Hoffman and the 600 club

For years the saves record belonged to Trevor Hoffman, whose devastating changeup made him the first pitcher ever to reach 500 and then 600 saves. He spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and his ninth-inning entrances to “Hells Bells” became a ballpark ritual. Hoffman finished with 601 and remains second, the only closer besides Rivera to clear 600.

Lee Smith, the modern closers, and the chase

Lee Smith held the all-time saves record before Hoffman, retiring with 478, and he still ranks third among a group of Hall of Fame relievers. Behind him, active closers Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel have climbed into the top tier, each pushing past the 440-save mark. Even so, both remain more than 180 saves shy of Rivera, a gap that underscores how far ahead the record holder is.

Why the record matters

Career saves reward a rare psychological gift: the ability to protect a lead night after night with the game on the line. Rivera’s 652 captures a closer who did it at the highest level for nearly 20 years, and the modern trend toward bullpen committees makes sustained save totals even harder to compile. The pitchers who chase him are measured against the same standard of longevity that shapes our most career strikeouts by a pitcher leaderboard, while the hitters those closers faced appear on our most hits in MLB history list.

The short version: Mariano Rivera holds the MLB career saves record with 652, ahead of Trevor Hoffman (601), the only other pitcher to reach 600. Lee Smith (478) leads the rest of the field. As of the 2025 season, Kenley Jansen paces active closers but remains far behind, and Rivera’s mark stands as one of baseball’s most secure records.