The Cuban closer Raidel Martínez wrote an indelible page in Japanese baseball this Thursday by recording his 250th save in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), a milestone that grants him access to the Meikyukai, the exclusive Club of Extraordinary Players in that country.
The milestone occurred during the 5-3 victory of the Yomiuri Giants against the Chunichi Dragons, when Martínez took the mound in the ninth inning and retired the three batters he faced with just five pitches, not allowing any runs.
It was his 38th save of the 2026 season, a campaign in which the Cuban has been virtually untouchable: an ERA of 1.34 in 47.0 innings pitched, 51 strikeouts, and a batting average allowed of .157, leading the league with 11 more saves than the second place, Shinya Matsuyama, also from Chunichi.
Martínez becomes the first foreign pitcher in NPB history to reach 250 saves, and only the second foreign player to enter the Meikyukai, a distinction that, until this Thursday, was held solely by the Venezuelan Alex Ramírez, who achieved it in 2013 through 2,000 hits.
El Meikyukai only admits players who exceed elite statistical thresholds: 2,000 hits, 200 wins, or 250 saves in the NPB. Reaching any of those milestones guarantees a place among the immortals of Japanese baseball.
In addition to joining the club, Martínez set the record for speed in reaching 250 saves in NPB history: he achieved it in 411 games, shattering the previous record held by Kazuhiro Sasaki, who had taken 435 games to accomplish the same feat.
In the historical list of saves in the league, the Cuban ranks fourth, tied with Naoya Masuda and Yoshikazu Hirano, both with 250. Above them is Sasaki with 252, followed by Shingo Takatsu with 286 and the all-time leader Hitoki Iwase with 407. Martínez is the sixth pitcher in the history of the NPB to reach that figure.
The path to this moment began in 2018 when the pitcher joined the Chunichi Dragons. Over seven seasons with that team, he accumulated 166 saves, with his best year in 2024: 43 saves and an ERA of 1.09. In December of that year, he signed a historic contract worth 32.5 million dollars for four seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, one of the largest ever granted to a Latino in the NPB.
His first season with Yomiuri in 2025 was equally dominant: 46 saves and an ERA of 1.11 in 58 appearances, bringing his all-time total to 212 saves before the current campaign began.
The Japanese Baseball portal summed up the moment with a single word: «¡¡IMMORTAL!!».
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