What is a hold in baseball?

In baseball, a "hold" is a statistic that measures the effectiveness of relief pitchers. A hold is credited to a relief pitcher who enters the game in a save situation, records at least one out, and maintains the lead for his team until they are relieved by another pitcher. The hold statistic is designed to give credit to relief pitchers who help preserve a lead and set up the closer to finish the game.

Unlike saves, which are only awarded to a pitcher who finishes the game and maintains the lead until the end, holds can be earned by pitchers who only pitch for a short period of time but still contribute to the team's victory. Holds are not an official statistic tracked by Major League Baseball, but they are recognized by many fans, analysts, and fantasy baseball leagues as a way to evaluate the performance of relief pitchers.