Yomiuri Giants right-hander Raidel Martínez made Nippon Professional Baseball history on Thursday, September 10, becoming the first foreign pitcher to record 250 career saves.
Martínez entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead against his former club, the Chunichi Dragons, at Tokyo Dome. The 29-year-old needed just five pitches to retire the side in order, sealing a 5-3 Giants victory and recording his 38th save of the season.
The Cuban became just the sixth pitcher in NPB history to reach the 250-save milestone, joining Hitoki Iwase, Shingo Takatsu, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Yoshihisa Hirano, and Naoya Masuda. It only took Martínez 411 appearances to accomplish the feat, surpassing Sasaki’s previous record of 435 games as the fastest pitcher in NPB history to 250 saves.
At 29 years and 10 months old, he also shattered Takatsu’s record as the youngest pitcher to reach the mark. Takatsu was 34 when he recorded his 250th save in 2003.
Martínez arrived in Japan from Cuba as a 20-year-old developmental player and has since developed into one of the most overpowering relievers in NPB history.
A native of Pinar del Río, Martínez signed a developmental contract with the Dragons in February 2017. Then-manager Shigekazu Mori was instrumental in bringing him to Japan and later recalled that Martínez’s tall frame and big fastball already stood out, though he never expected the young right-hander to develop into a pitcher of this caliber.
Martínez earned a spot on Chunichi’s active roster in April 2018 and initially worked as a starter. He made his NPB debut against the Hanshin Tigers on May 6, but his career eventually took a different direction in the bullpen.
Under manager Tsuyoshi Yoda, Martínez received his first opportunity to close games in 2019. He recorded his first career save against the Orix Buffaloes on June 11 and soon established himself as Chunichi’s main option in the ninth inning.
Martínez quickly developed into one of the most consistent relievers in the world. He has recorded at least 20 saves in seven consecutive seasons since 2020 and has surpassed 30 in each of the past five. He won his first Central League saves title with 39 in 2022 before adding two more titles in 2024 and 2025.
After eight seasons in the Dragons organization, Martínez left Chunichi following the 2024 season with 166 career saves. He inked a four-year deal with the Giants worth ¥5 billion (about $32 million) and immediately extended his dominance into the nation’s capital, posting a 1.11 ERA with 46 saves during his first season with the club.
His 250th career save was his 84th with Yomiuri, giving him 166 with Chunichi and 84 with the Giants. Every previous member of NPB’s 250-save club reached the milestone with a single organization.
Fittingly, Martínez reached the milestone against the team he has been most associated with throughout his career. He became emotional during his postgame interview, stating, “Without everyone on the Dragons, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve something like this.”
The save also made Martínez eligible for the prestigious Meikyukai, or Golden Players Club, whose statistical benchmark for relief pitchers is 250 career saves. He is the first player who originally entered NPB on a developmental contract to reach the Meikyukai and just the second foreign player to do so, following former Yakult Swallows and Giants slugger Alex Ramírez, who registered his 2,000th hit in 2013.
Martínez is already climbing further up NPB’s career saves leaderboard. With another save on Saturday against the Hanshin Tigers, he surpassed active pitchers Hirano and Masuda and is now just one behind Sasaki’s 252. Takatsu ranks second with 282, while Dragons legend Iwase remains the all-time leader with 407.
Martínez now owns a 1.58 ERA across 415 ⅓ career innings, with a 29% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate. His sustained dominance has put him alongside former SoftBank Hawks star Dennis Sarfate in the conversation for the best foreign reliever in NPB history.
Now pitching for a perennial contender and still only 29, Martínez also has a realistic chance to eventually challenge Iwase for NPB’s all-time saves record.