Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Austin Pruitt pitched the longest regular-season major league save in nearly 16 years Sunday, going 5 2/3 innings of relief in an 8-3 victory over the Orioles in St. Petersburg, Fla.
On Sept. 3, 2002, the Texas Rangers’ Joaquín Benoit picked up a seven-inning save, also against the Orioles.
Since the save became an official statistic in 1969, only two other pitchers have gone at least 5 2/3 innings to get one: the Rangers’ Horacio Piña of (six innings, April 23, 1972) and Oakland Athletics’ Bob Locker (5 2/3 innings, Aug.