The second half of the season begins on the 31st. There are many points of interest, such as the league championship, the Climax Series race, and the individual title races, but it seems that many players will achieve 250 career saves in NPB, one of the requirements for entry into the Meikyukai (Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame), during this second half of the season.
Naoya Masuda (Lotte) currently has 249 career saves, just one away from 250. Last season, he came within seven saves of 250, but entered the 2025 season with only 22 appearances, his worst ever, and he was unable to reach 250 saves with just 5.
Although he had been pitching primarily in games where his team was trailing since the start of the season, he gradually moved up the pecking order and earned his first save of the season on July 10 against the Orix Buffaloes. He also took the mound in situations where a “hold” was on the line against the Orix Buffaloes on July 25 and the Orix Buffaloes on July 26, so it seems likely he’ll get save opportunities when closer Rikuto Yokoyama pitches in consecutive games.
Yasuaki Yamazaki (DeNA) currently has 246 career saves, just four away from 250. He only managed one save last season, but with Ryoji Aikawa taking over as manager this season, he has reclaimed his role as closer and has accumulated saves since the start of the season, reaching 14 so far. However, since June, he has pitched 4 1/3 innings in 6 games, with a record of 0 wins, 3 losses, and 1 ERA of 22.85, lacking his usual brilliance, and was removed from the first-team roster on July 3rd. He is currently adjusting in the minor leagues.
Martínez (The Giants), who has won the saves title for two consecutive years and currently leads all 12 teams with 29 saves, now has 241 career saves.Although he is still nine saves shy of 250, unlike Masuda and Yamazaki, he is currently entrusted with the role of closer. Surprisingly, he appears to be the most likely of the three to reach 250 career saves first.
Will Masuda, Yamazaki, and Martinez reach a combined 250 saves this season?
![[Rush of players to be added to the main roster before the deadline] Today's Pacific League League [July 31st]](https://media.insight.pacificleague.com/webp/gJk7x9EVLqrCli7xmGkgeu4FlnLoNAWdpUmVrm6E.webp)
