A save in a 20-0 game? Brewers' Garrett Stallings registers MLB first
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The number of storylines were abundant after Milwaukee's playoff-clinching 20-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 11, and right-hander Garrett Stallings was understandably not at the top of the list of subplots. But he became the first pitcher to register a save in a game where the winning team scored 16 or more runs while pitching a shutout.
Most MLB fans are aware of the quirky scoring rule that allows pitchers to secure a save, regardless of score, if they work the final three innings of a victory. Stallings did just that against the Reds, inheriting the pitching load from starter Dustin May in the seventh. Stallings allowed one walk and no other baserunners, throwing 30 pitches (21 strikes) to finish off the laugher.
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Add the first big-league save to Stallings' first year of Major League Baseball.
"People always say it's challenging to throw in those games [where your team has a huge lead], and you look across and they're already throwing a position player," Stallings said. "Again, I'm just grateful to be here and be a part of this team. ... I went out there and had a really solid first inning, and then they started pinch hitting everyone and doing different things, but I just stayed on who I was and my mission and ended up with a pretty cool accomplishment."
Jake Woodford secured a save for the Brewers earlier this year when he finished off a 13-2 win over the Diamondbacks, and Shane Drohan recorded a similar save in May against the Yankees in a 6-0 win. Chad Patrick got one against the Braves in a 9-4 win.
"It seems kind of silly that's a rule [to get a save with three innings in a blowout], but it's there for a reason in certain scenarios where I can help the team be fresh for the next day," Stallings said.
A Stathead search identifies only nine instances of a team winning by 20 or more runs in a shutout since 1901, and the 2026 Brewers are responsible for two of those games. Milwaukee also beat Seattle on Aug. 18, 22-0. None had a save attached before Stallings' performance, though the save has only been a statistic since 1969 (accounting for seven of the nine games).
Tristan Beck of the Giants recorded a 2023 save in a 15-0 win, one of two instances in the Stathead database of a save in a 15-0 game. No shutout with 16, 17, 18 or 19 runs has ever produced a save since 1969.
Stallings, recalled by the Brewers after the team sent Brandon Sproat back to Class AAA Nashville following a rough performance Wednesday against the Cubs, hasn't yielded an earned run in his 11 big-league innings, allowing just three hits over five games with four walks and 11 strikeouts.
"He's been really good," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Saturday. "What I've seen is the kid is effective. He knows who he is. Now, he's been in roles where it hasn't been leverage and there hasn't been as much on him. But there's an importance in that kind of role, too. I just like him a lot."
The 29-year-old made his big-league debut July 7 and has been sent back down to Nashville twice this season. With strike-throwing mop-up man Bryse Wilson currently on the injured list, Stallings has an opportunity to keep seeing the field.
"I was pretty optimistic especially just leaving on a good note, obviously coming up here and pitching well," Stallings said about getting back to the big leagues again this season. "Once the rosters expand and [you have a team] pushing for the playoffs, you never know. I was really just keeping my head down, staying on my mission and making sure I was healthy. It's awesome being with this group."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A save in a 20-0 game? Brewers' Garrett Stallings registers MLB first