Greg Holland Recorded His 100th Save for the Royals

Prior to last night, the only closers for the Kansas City Royals with 100 or more saves were Mike Montgomery, Dan Quisenberry and Joakim Soria. Now, Greg Holland has added his name to that list.

Despite having not been named the Royals official closer until midway through the 2012 season, Holland has quickly made up for lost time. Since recording his first save as a closer on August 1st of that season, Holland has notched 96 saves in 103 attempts, for a 93.2% save percentage. This year, Holland has been just as dominant, converting 33 of 35 saves while posting a 1.81 ERA and a 1.084 WHiP.

Yet, that 100 saves is just a number to Greg Holland. As far as he is concerned, it just means that he has had a hand in 100 victories for the Royals since taking over as closer.

"“It means we won the game,” Holland said. “I know it’s going to be something I’m going to look back on at the end of my career, however long or short that may be, and appreciate it.”"

Over the past three seasons, the Royals bullpen has been one of, if not the best, in baseball. Built upon a foundation of hard throwers such as Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis, Greg Holland is the perfect closer. He throws hard, he throws strikes and there is typically minimal consternation when Holland comes in with the game on the line.

To some, closers are overrated. The theory is that any solid reliever would be able to come in and perform well in the ninth inning, as it is just another inning in the game. Yet, there is something to be said for having a reliable option in the back of the bullpen, like Holland is for the Royals. Just ask fans of the Detroit Tigers what it is like dealing with the roller coaster that is Joe Nathan this season.

Greg Holland became the fourth pitcher in Royals history to record 100 saves last night. Hopefully, he will record many more for the Royals.