Yovanny Cruz's First MLB Save Has Nationals Close to Making Strange Baseball History
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It's been well-documented just how bad this Washington Nationals bullpen performed this year.
Not only did they set the MLB record for most blown saves in a single season with 42 and counting, but they are also tied for the most losses in the league (40) this year and they have the third-worst ERA (5.01). That comes after they finished 2025 with the worst bullpen ERA in the majors (5.59).
However, there are some bright spots when looking at how this unit stacks up moving forward. And while most of the attention surrounding this bullpen has been negative, when flamethrowing right-hander Yovanny Cruz recorded his first MLB save on Wednesday, that now puts the Nationals on the doorstep of making some strange baseball history.
Nationals Have Had Second-Most Players Ever Record a Save This Season
Per the Nationals' own communications account, when Cruz recorded his save on Wednesday, that was the 15th player this season who recorded a save for Washington. That puts them tied for second with the 2025 Minnesota Twins, as the Nationals trail the record-holding 2025 Arizona Diamondbacks by two saves for the most in a single season of all time.
There's a lot to take away from that statistic.
On the negative end of things, that clearly shows why Washington has struggled to close out games. They don't have a go-to guy to shut things down in the late innings, and they have had to utilize multiple arms throughout the year to try and finish out wins because of that.
But on the flip side, that also shows this unit has multiple relievers who can -- and have -- closed out games for the Nationals. In theory, that means they should have plenty of trusted arms they can turn to in high-leverage situations. Of course, the reality paints a different picture than that since they have blown the most saves in the history of a major league season. However, there are at least some positives Washington can take from what happened this year despite the overall failure of that group.
Going back to Cruz, him recording his first MLB save is a great sign. On the surface, it seems like the Nationals need to go out and bring in a bona fide closer to solve their issues. But as has been seen throughout history, signing a high-profile free agent reliever doesn't always work out. So if Cruz can become a closer for them, then that would allow the front office to allocate resources to other parts of the ballclub, including adding more bullpen pieces to the mix instead of just one notable closer.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai