Jerome Holtzman was one of the most important baseball writers of the 20th century, penning columns for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune for over 50 years. Holtzman was awarded the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, the most prestigious accolade for baseball writers, in 1989. In 1999, Holtzman was named the official historian of Major League Baseball. Holtzman is famous for inventing the save statistic in 1959, with its official application by Major League Baseball occurring a decade later, in 1969. The save was the first new statistic added to the baseball lexicon since RBI became an official statistic in 1920.

Offered here is a treasure trove of documents, newspaper articles, and letters relating to the invention and application of the save as an official statistic in Major League Baseball. Included in this lot are letters from J.G. Taylor Spink to Holtzman regarding the save, as well as letters from Clifford Kachline and Jack Berger to Holtzman. Numerous documents in this lot contain handwritten notes and work from Holtzman, while the remainder of the lot is filled out with newspaper clippings relating to the save.

Also included in this lot is Holtzman’s personal scorebook from the 1988, 1989, and 1990 MLB season. The scorebook primarily records games for the Chicago Cubs and the White Sox, while select World Series and playoff games are also included. This lot is an interesting and unique peek into the life and creative process of one of the most important sportswriters of the century. This collection comes with a Letter of Provenance from Phil Ginocchio, the grandson of Jerome Holtzman, who states in his letter that this collection originated from his grandfather.

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