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When were the last five 30 save seasons by an Orioles pitcher?

One reliever in particular takes up a lot of this list

By Michael Najarian |
Baltimore Orioles v Minnesota Twins: Orioles pitcher Zack Britton delivers a pitch druring a game
Baltimore Orioles v Minnesota Twins: Orioles pitcher Zack Britton delivers a pitch druring a game / Hannah Foslien/GettyImages
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Everyone knows that it's hard to win in baseball without a dominant closer in the ninth inning to shut down opponents and secure the win. When the Orioles have been good, they've had that type of guy to go to in the ninth inning.

Closers hitting 30 saves in a season is a marker of dominance, as locking down at least 30 wins for your team goes a long way toward the success of the team. Without further ado, let's get into the list.

Félix Bautista, 2023

After a strong stretch to end 2022, Mountain Time took full effect in 2023 for Félix Bautista. Even though his season was cut short by a UCL injury that needed Tommy John Surgery to repair, Bautista was a force to be reckoned with on the mound in 2023.

In his first full season as Orioles closer, Bautista racked up 33 saves for the first 30-save season the team had since 2016, finishing off 46 games in total as he posted a dominant 1.48 ERA and 0.918 WHIP, averaging a ridiculous 16.2 strikeouts per nine to lead the majors.

He made his first All-Star game appearance in July and finished in 11th place in voting for the AL Cy Young. He earned a spot on the All-MLB first team in December and won the AL Reliever of the Year award at the end of November. Bautista's season was nothing short of dominant.

Zack Britton, 2016, 2015, and 2014

As good as the 30-save milestone is, Zack Britton was so good in the mid-2010s for the Orioles that he surpassed 30 saves three years in a row. Converted to a reliever ahead of 2014, Britton burst onto the scene with 37 saves to go with a 1.65 ERA and 0.904 WHIP across 76 1/3 innings in 71 appearances.

Britton's 2015 season was largely in line with his 2014 campaign, saving 36 games as he finished a league-leading 58 in total, authoring a 1.92 ERA and 0.990 WHIP as his average strikeouts per nine jumped from 7.3 in 2014 to 10.8 in 65 2/3 innings across 64 appearances.

As good as Britton's previous two years were, his 2016 campaign blew them both out of the water. He led the league in games finished with 63 and saves with 47 in 67 innings and 69 appearances. He allowed just one home run all season and walked 18 hitters. He had a dominant 0.54 ERA and 0.836 WHIP as he allowed four earned runs and seven runs total all year.

The unfortunate decision to leave him in the bullpen in the Wild Card Game aside, Britton was arguably the best reliever in baseball during those three years, racking up 120 saves in three seasons and finishing in fourth place in voting for the Cy Young in 2016.

Now officially retired from baseball after injuries took their toll on him the last few seasons, we can fondly look back on Britton's Orioles days as he won't be toeing the rubber for the division-rival Yankees anymore.

Jim Johnson, 2013

The last person on the list is the closer that Britton replaced in Baltimore, that being Jim Johnson. With a pair of over 30-save seasons in 2012 and 2013, the Orioles had five straight 30-save seasons in the 2010s, an incredible feat on its own. Since 2013 is the fifth year, we'll solely be focusing on that year.

After a 51-save season and his only All-Star Game selection in 2012, Johnson was just as dominant in 2013 for the Orioles, who finished 85-77 and third in the AL East. He followed up a top-10 finish in Cy Young voting with 50 saves in 2013, finishing 63 games in total.

Johnson didn't strike out a ton of batters, averaging 7.2 strikeouts per nine that year. It didn't matter too much, as Johnson ended the season with a 2.94 ERA and 1.280 WHIP, averaging 0.6 home runs per nine and 2.3 walks per nine in 70 1/3 innings over 74 appearances.

After his two years of dominance with the Orioles, Johnson was never able to fully replicate those numbers as he bounced between five different teams from 2014 to his last season in 2018. He still goes down as one of the better closers to come through Baltimore, given his 122 saves with the team out of his 178 total.

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