One hundred and twenty two games into the season, Edwin Díaz stands on the precipice of history.
Only four players in history have ever recorded 55 saves in a single season: John Smoltz, Éric Gagné, Bobby Thigpen, and Francisco Rodriguez. Neither Mariano Rivera nor Trevor Hoffman, the two all-time leaders in saves, ever hit 55. Dennis Eckersley topped out at 51.
Díaz, meanwhile, has 47 saves as of right now, in mid-August. If he continues at his current pace, he will finish with 62 saves, which would tie Rodriguez’s all-time record set back in 2008.