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Trevor Hoffman earned his 600th career save on Tuesday night, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat.  

Here’s a look back at Hoffman’s long road from minor league shortstop to the most prolific closer of all time.

Trevor Hoffman’s 600 Saves Timeline

April 29th, 1993 – 1st Career Save – Florida Marlins def. Atlanta Braves

April 13th, 1997 – 100th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. Philadelphia Phillies

June 23rd, 1997 – 114th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. San Francisco Giants – Hoffman’s 109th Save as a Padre surpasses Rollie Fingers to become San Diego’s all time saves leader.

June 10th, 1999 – 200th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. Oakland A’s

August 15th 2001 – 300th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. New York Mets

May 6th, 2005 – 400th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. St. Louis Cardinals

September 24th, 2006 – 479 Career Saves – San Diego Padres def. Pittsburgh Pirates – Hoffman passes Lee Smith, establishing new Major League Baseball all-time saves record

June 6th, 2007 – 500th Career Save – San Diego Padres def. Los Angeles Dodgers

September 7th, 2010 – 600th Career Save – Milwaukee Brewers def. St. Louis Cardinals

Trevor Hoffman Facts and Statistics

– Trevor Hoffman has pitched against all 30 current major league teams.

– Most Faced Team: Los Angeles Dodgers (100 times)
– Least Faced Team: Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays (one time each)

– Most Saves vs. Opponent: 68 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
– Fewest Saves vs. Opponent: 0 (Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees)

– Lowest Career ERA vs. Opponent: 0.00 (Baltimore, Detroit, KC, Tampa, Toronto)
– Highest Career ERA vs. Opponent: 13.50 (Chicago White Sox)

– Most Career Wins vs. Opponent: 9 (Cincinnati Reds)
– Most Career Losses vs. Opponent: 8 (Colorado Rockies/Los Angeles Dodgers)

– Most Strikeouts vs. Opponent: 105 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
– Fewest Strikeouts vs. Opponent: 0 (Detroit Tigers—the only team against which he’s never struck out a batter)

– Most Total Walks Allowed vs. Opponent: 30 (San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers)
– Fewest Total Walks Allowed vs. Opponent: 0  (Red Sox, Tampa, Tigers, Toronto)

– Most Home Runs Allowed Lifetime vs. Opponent: 13 (Colorado Rockies)
– Fewest Home Runs Allowed Lifetime vs. Opponent: 7 Teams Tied at 0

– Most Innings Pitched vs. Opponent: 103.2 (San Francisco Giants)
– Fewest Innings Pitched vs. Opponent: 1.0 (Baltimore/Detroit/Tampa)

Miscellaneous Stats:

– Trevor Hoffman has only hit nine batters in his career (3 Dodgers, 2 Rockies, 2 Giants, 1 Astros, 1 Phillies).

– At the plate, Trevor Hoffman’s lifetime batting average is 0.118 (4 for 34).

– As a hitter, Trevor Hoffman has zero career home runs and 5 total RBIs.

– Trevor Hoffman’s career fielding percentage is .974.

– Trevor Hoffman has only committed four fielding errors in his career.

– Trevor Hoffman has thrown 49 career wild pitches.

Summary

For his career, Trevor Hoffman owns a 61-75 record (.449) with a 2.87 ERA.  He’s struck out 1,132 batters and walked 307 in 1,086.1 innings pitched.  He’s converted 600 of 676 save opportunities for a career save percentage of .887.

What does this all mean?  For Hoffman, one day, a trip to Cooperstown and baseball immortality.

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Trevor Hoffman has come a long way.

Who would have guessed back in 1989 that the skinny shortstop and third baseman taken in the 11th round of the amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds would someday make history, becoming Major League Baseball’s all-time saves leader?

Probably not even Jim Lett, Hoffman’s manager in Single-A Charleston, who encouraged Trevor to try switching to pitcher in 1991. And switch he did.

Now, nearly 20 years and three teams after that fateful conversion, the legendary Marlins, Padres, and Brewers closer made history again.

Clad in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform, Trevor Hoffman entered the game in the ninth inning to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” (his signature calling card) and closed the door on the St. Louis Cardinals, preserving a 4-2 Brewers victory. The save was Hoffman’s ninth on the season and, more importantly, his 600th save in a long, illustrious career.

As baseball fans worldwide celebrate the historic achievement, here’s a look back at Trevor Hoffman’s career closing milestones.

Trevor Hoffman Saves Timeline

April 29th, 1993: First Career Save—Florida Marlins def. Atlanta Braves

April 13th, 1997: 100th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. Philadelphia Phillies

June 23rd, 1997: 114th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. San Francisco Giants; Hoffman’s 109th save as a Padre surpasses Rollie Fingers as he becomes San Diego’s all-time saves leader.

June 10th, 1999: 200th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. Oakland A’s

August 15th, 2001: 300th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. New York Mets

May 6th, 2005: 400th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. St. Louis Cardinals

September 24th, 2006: 479th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. Pittsburgh Pirates; Hoffman passes Lee Smith, establishing new Major League Baseball all-time saves record.

June 6th, 2007: 500th Career Save—San Diego Padres def. Los Angeles Dodgers

September 7th, 2010: 600th Career Save—Milwaukee Brewers def. St. Louis Cardinals

So what’s next for the future Hall of Famer? Hoffman’s not saying. He’s elected to wait until the end of the season to decide on his future.

The Brewers and Hoffman have a mutual contract option for $7 million for 2011. If the option is not exercised, a $500,000 buyout clause kicks in.

Regardless of what his future holds, Hoffman will savor today. Congratulations, Trevor Hoffman, on your 600th career save!

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A statue of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was unveiled outside of Miller Park on Tuesday, honoring the former Brewers owner for his contributions to professional baseball in Milwaukee.  

Selig brought the Brewers to Milwaukee in 1970 after the Braves left, and was the man primarily responsible for securing the construction of Miller Park in 2001. The state of the art stadium, along with the league’s revenue sharing program (which Selig also pioneered), are two of the primary reasons baseball thrives in one of Major League Baseball’s smallest markets.

Selig’s statue stands tall alongside similar monuments of baseball legend (and former Milwaukee Brave) Henry “Hank” Aaron, and Milwaukee Brewers icon Robin Yount.  

So who’s missing from this impressive statuary?  

After the Selig ceremony, many sportswriters and fans were calling for a Bob Uecker statue. Mr. Baseball is certainly a deserving candidate, but I’m wondering where’s the love for Paul Molitor?

Molitor was drafted by Milwaukee in 1977. During his 15-year tenure with the Brewers, Molitor was a five-time All-Star (1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992), a two-time Silver Slugger (1987, 1988), and won the Hutch Award in 1987.  

As a member of the Brewers, Molitor compiled the fifth-longest hitting streak in Major League History (39 games), and was a key contributor on the famous 1982 Brewers team that made it to the World Series, falling in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

For his career, Molitor is one of four players in baseball history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases.  

The Brewers retired his No. 4 jersey in 1999 and in 2004, despite his later stints with the Blue Jays and Twins, Molitor kept his word and joined Robin Yount as the second Milwaukee Brewer in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

As a long-time fan, when I think of Milwaukee Brewers greats, I think of Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. I think a lot of fans do.

So where’s the love, Milwaukee?  Please clear a spot for Paul Molitor next to Hammerin’ Hank, The Kid, and the Commish. I think Molly deserves one.

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The Milwaukee Brewers’ eighth straight loss—a 5-4 heart-breaker to the division-leading Cincinnati Reds—has many fans calling for manager Ken Macha’s head.

The embattled Brewers skipper is being criticized for his understated (read: boring) demeanor and methodical, analytical approach to leading the team. 

Macha is certainly anything but flamboyant, but are the Brewers’ early season struggles really his fault?  Let’s examine.

Upgrading a pitching staff that was 15th in ERA in the National League (and 27th in all of baseball) was general manager Doug Melvin’s top offseason priority, as evidenced by the hiring of new pitching coach Rick Peterson and the acquisition of free agent left-handers Randy Wolf and Doug Davis and right-handed setup man LaTroy Hawkins. 

Melvin also took care of business at home, re-signing all-star closer (and all-time saves leader) Trevor Hoffman and the recently dependable Claudio Vargas and Carlos Villanueva. 

So how has that worked out so far?

Doug Davis is 1-4 with a 7.56 ERA and is headed to the disabled list with chest inflammation. 

Hawkins is also on the DL, but not before going 0-3 with a 9.26 ERA. 

Vargas has struggled out of the gates with an 8.04 ERA. 

Trevor Hoffman has been downright atrocious: 1-3 with five blown saves (as many as he had in all of 2009) and a gaudy 13.15 ERA.

Randy Wolf has been decent, but underwhelming with a 3-3 record and an ERA of 4.66.

Meanwhile, Villanueva’s 3.05 ERA in 19 appearances is one of the few bright spots in an awful Brewers bullpen.

How about offense? To their credit, the Brewers are putting runs on the board. 

The team is sixth in RBI and runs scored, third in home runs, fifth in slugging percentage, and sixth in team batting average. 

Despite these solid team numbers, Prince Fielder has been struggling (by his lofty standards anyway), creating a critical power outage in the middle of the lineup. 

The young Brewers slugger has produced only six home runs (fourth most on the team) and 17 RBI (fifth most on the team) while striking out 39 times—second only to the free swinging Rickie Weeks. 

As good as the Brewers have been at the plate, they have been equally ineffective in the field. 

As a team, the Brewers have committed 30 errors already (third most in the NL) and are 14th overall in fielding percentage. 

Alcides Escobar, Casey McGehee, and Rickie Weeks are leading Milwaukee’s futile fielding charge, committing 18 of these 30 errors.

In the standings, Milwaukee is 15-24 after 39 games. 

The team is already eight games out of first place and nine games under .500—bad news for a team expected, at least by their fans, to contend in the National League Central—and even worse news for Macha.

So, is this all Macha’s fault? Probably not. But either way, the fans want blood.

If the Brewers don’t start winning soon, it may just be Ken Macha’s blood they get.

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