In baseball

In baseball, a hold is awarded to a relief pitcher if he enters in a save situation, records at least one out, and leaves the game without having reliquished that lead.

Generally, a save situation is when a pitcher enters the game with a lead of three runs or less and finishes the game without relinquishing the lead. Most of the time, the saving pitcher pitches one or more innings.

To receive a hold, the pitcher must not finish the game (thus becoming the closing pitcher) or be the winning pitcher.

The hold was invented in 1986 to give a statistical measure of the effectiveness of non-closer relief pitchers. Holds are most often accredited to setup pitchers, as they usually pitch between the starter and the closer.

See also: baseball statistics

In aviation

In aviation a hold is a predetermined manoeuvre that keeps an aircraft within a specified airspace while it awaits further clearance.