Edwin Diaz's 50th save leads to close shave for Mariners' manager
Some wins feel better than others, but Sunday's Seattle Mariners victory may have been the sweetest save of closer Edwin Diaz's young career.
The 24-year-old collected his league-best 50th save of the season in the Mariners' 4-3, 10-inning win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, meaning Seattle manager Scott Servais had to follow through on a bet and get a haircut like that of his closer.
While Diaz usually keeps the ball after each of his saves, he gave Sunday's ball to Servais in honor of the bet.
"It's all in good fun," Servais said Sunday of the bet that was made in April. "It's really hard to get 50 saves in this game."
On Tuesday, the good fun was had by Diaz as he supervised Servais' shearing while wearing an "Electric Eddie's Barbershop" cap gifted him by the manager.
The two later posed side by side to show off their matching locks.
Diaz (1.97 ERA) is the youngest pitcher to collect 50 saves in a season and continues to add to his franchise record for saves in a season, having surpassed Fernando Rodney's previous record of 48 set in 2014.
With 31 games remaining in the regular season, the right-hander could challenge Francisco Rodriguez's record of 62 saves in a season. K-Rod set that mark in 2008 while with the Los Angeles Angels. No pitcher has had more than 51 saves in a season since Rodriguez's record-setting season.
Rodriguez is the only pitcher to reach the 50-save mark faster than Diaz, doing it in 129 games compared with Diaz's 130.
The Mariners enter play Tuesday seven games back in the AL West and 4½ games out of a wild-card spot.
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