Yomiuri Giants closer Raidel Martinez became the first foreign pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history to reach 250 career saves on Thursday, September 10.
Facing his former team, the Chunichi Dragons, at Tokyo Dome, Martinez worked a perfect ninth inning on just five pitches to secure a 5-3 Giants victory. The save was his 38th of the season.
Martinez became the sixth pitcher overall to reach 250 saves in NPB, joining Hitoki Iwase, Shingo Takatsu, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Yoshihisa Hirano, and Naoya Masuda. He also reached the milestone faster and at a younger age than anyone before him, doing so in his 411th career appearance at 29 years and 10 months old.
The right-hander’s path to the record began with Chunichi, which signed him to a developmental contract as part of its Cuban pipeline. Martinez was initially stretched out as a starter after reaching the top team in 2018 but transitioned to the bullpen and recorded his first save in June 2019.
The Pinar del Rio native soon emerged as one of Japan’s premier shutout closers, recording at least 20 saves every season since 2020. Martinez won the Central League saves title in 2022, 2024, and 2025 before leaving Chunichi after the 2024 season. He signed a four-year mega deal with Yomiuri reportedly worth ¥5 billion (~$32 million) and recorded 46 saves with a 1.11 ERA in his first season as a Giant.
Martinez recorded 166 of his first 250 saves with Chunichi and 84 with Yomiuri, making him the first member of NPB’s 250-save club to reach the milestone across multiple organizations.
The achievement also qualifies him for Japan’s prestigious Meikyukai, or Golden Players Club. With 251 career saves following another save over the weekend, Martinez is already closing in on Sasaki’s 252 for fourth on NPB’s all-time list and, at just 29 years old, has a legitimate chance to eventually surpass Iwase’s legendary record of 407.
