One of the most difficult tasks in winning a baseball game is finishing it off, especially if it's a close game. That’s why it’s important to have some one in the bullpen who can be consistently relied upon to come into the 9th inning and close out the game. These pitchers are of course known as closers and didn’t really exist in the early days of the game when the starter was expected to always go the distance. The save didn’t even become an official statistic until 1969, but by the 70’s and 80’s, several elite closers began to emerge and since then, more than a few have even made it into the Hall of Fame. So, without further ado, let’s rank the Top 25 closers in MLB history.
25. Dave Righetti
Southpaw Dave Righetti had a 16-year career and he was originally a starter who won the Rookie of the Year in 1981 when he had a 2.05 ERA with the Yankees. In 1984, he was sent to the bullpen to be the closer and never turned back. He made his first All Star team in 1986 with a league-leading 46 saves and a 2.45 ERA and later became the closer for the Giants, saving 24 games in 1991. He won 2 Reliever of the Year Awards and finished his career with 252 saves,
24. Roberto Hernandez
Hernandez pitched for 10 different teams in his career, accumulating 326 saves along the way. He became an elite closer with the White Sox in 1993 and led the league in games finished for 3 straight seasons. In 1996, he made the All-Star Team and finished the year with 38 saves and 1.91 ERA. He was traded to the Giants in 1997 for the playoff push and went on to become the closer for the Rays, then Royals. Hernandez is 14th all-time with 1,010 appearances as a pitcher.
23. John Wetteland
Wetteland was drafted by the Dodgers and pitched for them for 3 seasons, but didn’t become a closer until he landed in Montreal. In 1992, he saved 37 games for them and never left the role. He led the American League with 43 saves with the Yankees in 1996, and absolutely dominated the competition in the World Series that year, finishing off 5 games and taking home World Series MVP honors. Wetteland also saved games for the Rangers through the 2000 season. He had 330 career saves and also more saves than any other pitcher during the decade of the 90’s.
22. Eric Gagne
He’s only ranked this low because he was a bit of a flash in the pan, but when Eric Gagne his his peak, there was nobody better. He was originally a starter, but never found sustained success until he went to the bullpen and became practically unhittable during his peak. Unfortunately, that peak only lasted 3 All-Star seasons – from 2002 to 2004. During that time, he averaged over 50 saves per season, winning the Cy Young in 2003. He set an MLB record by converting an astonishing 84 consecutive save opportunities. After some injury issues though, he never regained that level of domination and finished his career with 187 saves.
21. Troy Percival
Percival was drafted as a catcher, but after hitting just .203 in Low A, he was converted to a relief pitcher, and thrived. With 358 career saves, Troy Percival currently ranks 13th all-time and held the position as the primary closer for the Angels for 9 seasons, averaging 35 saves per year. He made four All Star Teams and was a key member of the 2002 World Series championship team. During that playoff run, Percival picked up seven saves with a 2.79 ERA.
20. Jeff Reardon
Jeff Reardon, AKA “The Terminator” was throwing 98 MPH heat long before it became the norm among MLB relief pitchers. He was a dominant reliever for the Mets early in his career but did not became a full-time closer until he got to Montreal. There, he became an All-Star and in 1985, led the league with 41 saves. He returned to Minnesota and saved 103 games over 3 seasons before heading to Boston, where he made his 4th All Star Team. He finished his career with 367 saves - 12th all time.
19. Robb Nen
Although he only pitched for 10 years in the big leagues, 3-time All Star Robb Nen was one of the most dominant closers in the game for a 7-year stretch from 1996 to 2002. He averaged about 40 saves per season during that time, maxing out at a league leading 45 in 2001. Nen was fantastic in the postseason, with a career 2.25 ERA with the Marlins and Giants. He didn’t allow a run in 3 World Series appearances in 2002. Unfortunately, a major tear in his rotator cuff led to 3 surgeries and an early retirement after that season. Despite his relatively short career, he still picked up 314 career saves.
18. Tom Henke
During the late 80’s and early 90’s, one of the most feared closers in the game was Tom Henke, a 6’5” pitcher easily recognized by his large-rimmed glasses. His stuff was filthy and Henke struck out 9.8 batters per 9 innings throughout his career. He led the league with 34 saves in 1987 and maxed out at 40 saves in 1993. His best years were with the Blue Jays and Rangers, although he did have one final dominant season with the Cardinals in 1995 when he picked up 36 saves with a 1.82 ERA. He had 311 career saves and saved 5 games in the 1992 playoffs, helping the Blue Jays win it all.
17. Jonathan Papelbon
6-time All Star Jonathan Papelbon ranks 11th all time with 368 career saves, pitching for the Red Sox, Phillies and Nationals. He was already an elite college closer with Mississippi State when he was drafted and continued to dominate in the role as a big leaguer. He broke a Red Sox rookie record with 35 saves in 2006. Papelbon was a strikeout machine, striking out 10 batters per 9 innings throughout his career and had an incredibly impressive 2.44 career ERA. He also dominated when it really counted, setting an MLB record with 25 scoreless innings to start his postseason career. He didn’t give a single run in the 2007 playoffs, helping the Red Sox win it all. Pabelbon is still the career saves leader for both the Red Sox and the Phillies.
16. Dan Quisenberry
Like Eric Gagne, Dan Quisenberry makes the list for his peak more so than his entire career. He ended up saving 244 games with an impressive 2.76 ERA, but during one 6-year stretch, he led the league in saves 5 times and was nearly untouchable. He didn’t strike out a ton of guys, but used a sinking fastball to induce groundballs and had pinpoint control, rarely giving out free passes. After 5 seasons as a reliever in the minors, Quisenberry finally got his chance in the big leagues in 1979 and did not disappoint with a 3.15 ERA out of the pen. He became the closer in 1980 and led the league with 33 saves, finishing 5th for the Cy Young and 8th for MVP. In ‘82, he made his first of 3 consecutive All Star Teams and in 1983, had perhaps his best year, saving a then MLB single-season record 45 games with a 1.94 ERA. Unfortunately, the save numbers began to drop significantly after 1985 and a torn rotator cuff ended his career by 1990. His peak lasted just 6 seasons, but during that time, there was nobody better.
15. Aroldis Chapman
From his first season in the big leagues in 2010, the Cuban Missile wowed fans by lighting up radar guns in a way never before seen. Pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, he threw a 105.1 MPH pitch in San Diego that made highlight reels. He became their full-time closer by 2012 and made 4 consecutive All-Star teams, averaging over 36 saves per season. His strikeout numbers were ridiculous – in 2014, he struck out an average of 2 batters per inning. Chapman went on to pitch for the Yankees with a stop in Chicago, helping the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. He also pitched for the Rangers during their 2023 World Series run and is currently a member of the Pirates bullpen. Chapman has 325 career saves and an insane 1,219 career strikeouts in just 742 innings.
14. Joe Nathan
Nathan was drafted as a shortstop by the Giants, but after struggling to hit in the minors, was converted to a pitcher and made it to the big leagues as a starter in 1999. After some ups and downs, he found his comfort zone in the bullpen and in 2003, made 78 appearances with a 2.96 ERA. However, it was after a trade to the Twins that he became an elite closer. In 2004, he made the All Star Team, saved 44 games, and continued to pitch as a top tier closer for over a decade, making 6 total All Star teams and finishing his career with 377 saves, 10th All Time. He also pitched for the Rangers, Tigers and Cubs before returning to San Francisco to finish his career. Nathan has an MLB record 89.13% save percentage amongst pitchers with at least 200 saves.
13. Hoyt Wilhelm
One of the pioneers of the modern day reliever, Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm became the 1st MLB pitcher to appear in 1,000 games – not even Cy Young managed that. In his first season in 1952 with the Giants, he made a league-leading 71 appearances and went 15-3 with a 2.43 ERA, finishing 2nd for the Rookie of the Year and 4th for MVP. He went on to make 8 All Star teams and win two ERA titles. During his career, he wasn’t strictly used as a closer and would be used in a variety of high-leverage situations, but he still saved 228 games in his career, an MLB record at the time of his retirement. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as one of MLB’s great relievers, but in 1959, the Orioles tried him out as a starter and Wilhelm was an All-Star, going 15-11 with a 2.19 ERA, 3 shutouts and 13 complete games.
12. John Franco
Franco was drafted by the Dodgers as a starter out of St. John’s, but after a trade to the Reds during his minor league career, was sent to the bullpen and found his role, earning a quick promotion to the big leagues. In 1985, he had a 2.18 ERA in 99 innings and was promoted to full-time closer by ‘86. From that point on, he became a dominant closer and remained so throughout the rest of the 80’s and 90’s, pitching for the Reds and Mets. He led the league in saves 3 times, made 4 All Star Teams and won 2 Rolaids Reliever of the Year Awards. He is 7th all time with 424 saves and is the current New York Mets career saves leader. He had a 21-year career with a 2.89 ERA, yet somehow was snubbed on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving less than 5% of the vote and falling off completely.
11. Francisco Rodriguez
K-Rod originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Angels and showed incredible stuff as a starting pitcher in the minors. When he moved to the bullpen in 2002, however, he found his true calling, saving 15 games with a 2.27 ERA, earning a call-up to the majors. He quickly became of the of the most dominant and reliable relievers in the game, leading the league in saves in 3 out of 4 seasons, including an insane single-season MLB record 62 saves in 2008. He went on to the Mets and picked up 83 saves in 3 seasons before moving on the Milwaukee, where he continued to rack up saves with 44 in 2014 and 38 in 2015 then 44 again in 2016 with the Tigers. The 6-time All Star and 2-Time Reliever of the Year retired with 437 saves, 6th on the All Time list and also had some big playoff success, especially in 2002 when he helped the Angles win the World Series with a 2.08 ERA.
10. Craig Kimbrell
Potential future Hall-of-Famer Craig Kimbrell led the National League in saves for an incredible four consecutive seasons to kick off his amazing career. He was the Rookie of the Year award in 2011, made four straight All Star Teams and looked to be one of the greatest closers in MLB History. He was traded to the Padres in 2015 and picked up his 200th career save, faster than any pitcher in history. Since then, he’s had some ups and downs, but continued to pick up saves and reached 300 at the age of 29. In 2023 with the Phillies, he made his 9th All Star Team and is currently pitching for the Orioles, with 440 career saves and counting. Kimbrell has a 14.1 per 9 career strikeout ratio and will likely retire as one of the best closers in MLB history.
9. Kenley Jansen
Yet another closer on the list who started his professional career as a position player, Kenley Jansen was drafted as a catcher but after 5 years struggling to hit consistency in the minors, the Dodgers decided to try him out on the mound. It was a good decision. He dominated the minors as a pitcher and was quickly promoted to the big leagues, earning the job as a the Dodgers closer in his second full season. Jansen saved 25 games in 2012, 28 in 2013 then 44 in 2014, becoming one of the game’s premiere closers. He continued to dominate in the role year after year, eventually breaking the Dodgers all-time saves record, making 4 All Star Teams and winning 2 reliever of the year awards. He is also second all-time with 20 career postseason saves. He signed with the Braves in 2022 and led the league with 41 saves then headed to Boston, where he continues to pile up the saves. At the time of this recording, he has 441 saves - 4th All Time.
8. Bruce Sutter
One of the best closers of all time, Bruce Sutter, signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 1971 and was almost released until he learned a pitch called the splitfingered fastball. The pitch revitalized his career and propelled him into the big leagues, where he became the Cubs primary closer in 1977, picking up 31 saves. By 1979, he was the best in the National League and led the league in saves in 5 out of 6 seasons. He tied Dan Quisneberry’s single-season record of 45 saves and in 1979, won the Cy Young Award. He had one of the most dominant 8-year runs of any reliever on the list, but unfortunately injuries began to take their toll in the late 80’s and Sutter retired after 1988, saving just 17 games after 1985. But he made 6 All-Star Teams, won 4 Reliever of the Year Awards, and saved 3 games during the postseason for the 1982 Champion Cardinals. He finished his career with exactly 300 saves and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006.
7. Billy Wagner
The greatest MLB reliever in the history of the game who is eligible but still not in the Hall of Fame might be Billy Wagner, a lefty who accumulated 422 career saves with an absolutely incredible 2.31 career ERA. He became the full-time closer for the Astros in 1997 and kept the role for pretty much his entire career, also pitching for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves. Even in his final big season, he was dominant with Atlanta in 2010, saving 37 games with a 1.43 ERA He had a career 11.9 per 9 strikeout ratio, made 7 All-Star Teams and won a Reliever of the Year Award. The only knock on Wagner is his struggles in the playoffs – in 14 appearances, he had an ERA over 10. But, he got 73.8% of the vote this year, falling just short – so I expect Billy Wagner to be voted into the Hall of Fame in 2025.
6. Rich “Goose” Gossage
One of the first pitchers to really create what the closer role is all about was Rich Gossage, one of the most intimidating and feared relief pitchers in MLB history. He threw almost exclusively a hard fastball that hitters struggled with even knowing it was coming. He first embraced the role of the closer in 1975 with the White Sox, when he picked up a league-leading 26 saves with a 1.84 ERA. From there, he went on to become one of the best closers in the game, pitching for a variety of teams, but mostly remembered for his years with the Yankees and Padres. He led the league in saves 3 times and finished 2nd twice. He was excellent in clutch situations, recording the final out to clinch a division, pennant or World Series championship seven times. He made 8 All-Star teams, a record for a reliever at the time. He finished his career with 310 saves and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.
5. Lee Smith
For years, the legendary Lee Smith was the all-time MLB saves leader with 478 career saves. He became the Cubs closer in the early 80’s and from 1983 to 1995 – a 13 year stretch – he averaged 35 saves per season, leading the league 4 times and maxing out with 47 in 1991 with St. Louis. Smith finished in the Top 10 for the Cy Young 4 times, finishing runner-up once and he made 7 All Star teams. He is the Cubs all-time saves leader and he is unquestionably one of the greatest relievers in the history of the game, but he rarely got postseason opportunities, making just 4 appearances. He did not pitch very well in those games and likely lost some Hall of Fame votes due to this fact. Smith was never elected on the traditional ballot but the Committee elected him in 2019 and Lee Smith finally got his much deserved plaque.
4. Dennis Eckersley
One of the most impressive names on this entire list has to be 6-time All Star Dennis Eckersley, because he spent his first 14 big league seasons – basically an entire career – as a starting pitcher. During that time, Eckersley made 2 All-Star teams, had a 20-win season and was one of the most solid starters in the game. But after a trade to the Oakland A’s, he was converted to a reliever and quickly established himself as one of the best in the game, picking up a league-leading 45 saves in 1988. Despite the fact that he was already in his mid-30’s, Eckersley continued to pile up the saves and in 1992, won the Cy Young Award and MVP with 51 saves and 1.91 ERA at the age of 38. He kept on going until he was 43, picking up 390 career saves. He was excellent in the playoffs, winning the ALCS MVP, and picking up 15 career postseason saves. Imagine how many saves he could’ve had if he was a reliever his entire career. He had nearly 400 saves with 197 wins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first year on the ballot.
3. Rollie Fingers
Another pioneer of the modern closer role, Rollie Fingers had a 17-year big league career in which he played for the A’s, Padres and Brewers, breaking Hoyt Wilhelm’s career saves record and becoming the first player to reach 300 saves. The 7-time All Star was a key member of the 1970’s championship A’s teams, and was absolutely dominant in the postseason. Fingers won the 1974 World Series MVP award and had a 2.35 career postseason ERA with 9 saves. With the Brewers in 1981, he saved 28 games with a ridiculous 1.04 ERA, earning him both the Cy Young Award and MVP. Fingers ended his career with 341 saves, a 2.9 ERA and 4 Reliever of the Year Awards. For many years, he would’ve come in as the best closer in the history of game. Then, a couple more amazing arms came along.
2. Trevor Hoffman
Yet another converted position player, Trevor Hoffman became a pitcher during his time in the Reds minor league system and quickly showed an ability to close out games with 20 saves and a 1.89 ERA in the minor leagues in 1991. The Florida Marlins selected him in their inaugural draft and he was a fantastic reliever for them in 1993 until the Marlins traded him to San Diego in a multi-player deal that included Gary Sheffield heading from San Diego to Miami, enraging many Padres fans who even booed Hoffman in his Padres debut. Hoffman would turn out to be a Padres legend, using a deadly change-up to make 7 All Star teams. He became the best closer in the game by the late 90’s. In 1998, he saved 53 games – a single season National League Record at the time - with a 1.48 ERA. He was the Padres closer for 16 seasons before heading to Milwaukee, where he made the All Star team in 2009 and closed out 37 games. He became the first pitcher to save 500 games then the first to save 600 and finished his career with an MLB record 601 saves. Hoffman, who should’ve been a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame in his first eligible year, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018, his third year on the ballot.
1. Mariano Rivera
Coming in at #1 as the greatest closer in the history of the game should surprise no one – the New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, who broke Hoffman’s record and finished his career with an insane 652 saves and a 2.21 ERA. Rivera was a starter in the minor leagues and even started 10 games for the Yankees in 1995, but found much more success as a reliever and in 1996, he had a 2.09 ERA coming out of the pen and was absolutely stellar in the playoffs, helping the Yanks win a World Championship. He was given the chance to be the Yankees closer in 1997, took the job and did not relinquish it for the rest of his career. He made 13 All Star teams, 5 Reliever of the Year Awards and led the league in saves 3 times. Rivera has an almost unbelievable 42 postseason saves with a 0.7 ERA. He has more than twice as many postseason saves as Kenley Jansen, who comes in 2nd all time with 20. He became the first player in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote and easily comes in as the greatest closer in the history of baseball and it’s not even close.
And there you have it for the best 25 closers in the history of the game; let me know your thoughts down below – I’m sure some people will argue with some of the lower ranked players, but I doubt any one will have an issue with Mo at #1. If so, let me know, and we’ll fight it out in the comments. Please hit that thumbs up and subscribe button and have a wonderful day – we will talk to you in the next video.