The first officially-recorded save took place on April 7, 1969 by Bill Singer as the Dodgers defeated Cincinnati, 3-2, in the season opener at Crosley Field. The game had started with Don Drysdale giving up two back-to-back home runs on the first two pitches he threw for the season to Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan. Drysdale managed to calm down enough for the Dodgers to make a comeback, and Singer did not give up a hit in the final three innings to close out the game.
And then we went to make 40 starts for the rest of the season. Ah, baseball back in the day.
The basics stay the same, and yet the game manages to change so much.