Mark Melancon earns 50th save in Pirates' 10,000th NL win
Doug Pensinger / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Mark Melancon is having a historic season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The closer record a 1-2-3 ninth inning Thursday against the Colorado Rockies to become the first Pirates closer ever to record 50 saves in a season.
The feat has only been accomplished 15 times since saves became an official statistic in 1969.
| RANK | PLAYER | SAVES | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Rodriguez | 62 | 2008 |
| 2 | Bobby Thigpen | 57 | 1990 |
| 3 | Eric Gagne | 55 | 2003 |
| T-3 | John Smoltz | 55 | 2002 |
| 5 | Trevor Hoffman | 53 | 1998 |
| T-5 | Randy Myers | 53 | 1993 |
| T-5 | Mariano Rivera | 53 | 2004 |
| 8 | Eric Gagne | 52 | 2002 |
| 9 | Rod Beck | 51 | 1998 |
| T-9 | Dennis Eckersley | 51 | 1992 |
| T-9 | Jim Johnson | 51 | 2012 |
| 12 | Mark Melancon | 50 | 2015 |
| T-12 | Jim Johnson | 50 | 2013 |
| T-12 | Craig Kimbrel | 50 | 2013 |
| T-12 | Mariano Rivera | 50 | 2001 |
With nine games remaining, Melancon can't mathematically challenge Rodriguez's record of 62 saves in a single season, but he can rocket himself up the list considerably.
The Pirates earned their 10,000th win since joining the National League in 1887 by edging the Rockies 5-4. They're now fifth all-time in NL wins, behind the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
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