Phillies' Jonathan Papelbon Closing in on 300 Career Saves

Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon will join some select company with his next save, as he's set to become the 26th pitcher in MLB history with 300 career saves, per Baseball-Reference.com.

On Saturday, Papelbon pitched the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up a two-out single and a walk, before striking out Scott Van Slyke to close out a 5-3 victory. The save was No. 299 for Papelbon, who now needs just one more to tie Jason Isringhausen (1995 to 2012) and Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter (1976 to 1988) for 24th place on the all-time list.

Saturday's save was Papelbon's 13th in 14 chances this season, and his 80th since joining the Phillies in 2012. Despite his limited time with the organization, Papelbon is already in seventh place on the all-time franchise saves list.

Jose Mesa sits atop the list with 112 saves, just 32 ahead of Papelbon. Included in the statistical sandwich between Mesa and Papelbon are some well-known closers: Ron Reed (90), Tug McGraw (94), Brad Lidge (100), Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams (102) and Steve "Bedrock" Bedrosian (103).

Now in his 10th major league season, Papelbon spent the first seven years of his career with the Boston Red Sox (2005 to 2011). While he was in Boston, Papelbon earned a franchise-best 219 saves, putting a wide gap between himself and second-place Bob Stanley (1977 to 1989), owner of 132 career saves. A five-time All-Star, Papelbon set a personal best with 41 saves in 2008.

All Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.