Trevor Hoffman, Major League Baseball’s save king confirmed he was retiring. He made an art of getting the last three outs of a game. With the San Diego Padres, the 43-year-old will take a front office job. It is the same team with which he became a star.
During his 18 major league seasons, he posted 601 saves in 667 opportunities, which included 552 saves in 618 opportunities in his 15 1/2 seasons with the Padres.
To put that staggering total in some context, in baseball history consider that only one other pitcher has even 500 career saves and in retirement only one active pitcher has even 300 career saves, with Billy Wagner joining Hoffman.
Unfortunately for Hoffman’s chances, in both scenarios of hanging on to the all-time record, the “only one other pitcher” is Mariano Rivera and he’s just 42 saves away from 601. In 1998 and 2006, a seven-time All-Star and the Cy Young Award runner-up, he also pitched for the Florida Marlins and for Milwaukee.
Hoffman said that he was very thankful to be a part of major league baseball and that is the one word that kept recurring. He was thankful that until he was 43, he was to be able to put a uniform on and be a kid and to be a part of the baseball family.
As Hoffman headed toward the mound, his menacing aura was enhanced by the music that became his theme song, AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” that played then. He was well-known for staring down opposing batters.
On September 24, 2006, Hoffman became the career saves leader when he notched number 479. The previous mark of 478 established by Lee Smith was broken by him. With the Brewers, this last September, he crossed the 600-save barrier. Entering 2011, Rivera stands 42 behind it and no one else is even close.
Four postseason saves are included Hoffman’s most public viewings but on home runs, he had two series-clinching losses, as well as the 2006 All-Star Game in which Michael Young’s triple extended the American League’s winning streak. Off the field, with teammates as someone who could be a cutup but also a professional dedicated to fitness and preparation, Hoffman made his mark. To literally hundreds of players with whom he played, he is a trusted veteran and mentor.