Defining the Hold

The Hardball Times explores the definitions of holds and blown saves. I sometimes get questions from friends about a particular box score, and why someone got one or the other. I will sometimes point to a STATS, Inc. box score and note the hold or blown save is awarded differently.

While the save has a set meaning (with a possible exception I’ll mention later), different sources have different definitions for both holds and blown saves. Robertson’s Wild Card performance was a blown save to Baseball-Reference and Gameday, but not to FanGraphs. Similarly, in the other 2017 Wild Card game, Robbie Ray of the Arizona D-backs got a hold from Baseball-Reference and Gameday, but not from FanGraphs. (Jorge de la Rosa and Archie Bradley were credited with holds in that game by all three authorities.)

What are the definitions? We looked at that question using several leading sources and found not only the larger-scale rules and differences thereof, but some interesting minutiae.

I know one blown save rule from when I was at STATS is that you did not award a blown save in a situation where the save was at the discretion of the official scorer. I believe that situation is no longer in play, three innings with a lead earns a save.

There are a number of odd situations covered in the story. My advice to people who are bothered by this is to remember that these are unofficial statistics, trying to cover situations in a particular game that are influenced by other factors. Take these numbers with a grain of salt.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2DpqB1B