Situation:

My team takes the lead early. My starter can't complete 5 innings. Say I have a closer available any innings, but "only in save situation", would Sparky consider this a save situation? It looks like one, even though it's not.

I'm currently toying around a team to brake the most saves in a season record (68) and this situation popped up... I've always had doubts about Sparky's logic.

Any thoughts or experiences?

PS. Since you get my theorical strategy to rack up saves: in a legit save situation (so after at least 2 pitchers) would Sparky even bring the closer as soon as 4th or 5th?

In my experience, including ticket exchanges with customer service, it's next to impossible to get a pitcher designated as the closer into the game before the 8th inning.

XJchessman is correct... You can't get a "closer" into the game before the 8th.  So you need to find a way around that issue... Here's what I would try

Have a 200-250 IP SP as your closer.

Have enough IP in your rotation to get everyone through the 6th inning.  Ideally longer. 

Set your closer as SETUP A , eliigible to come in in the 6th inning.  Pull setting of 1, enough pitch count to finish out the game (50-60?)

Set any other relievers to be LONG A, eligible to come in in the 4th inning.  Have their pull settings be 3 or higher.  Limit them to 20-25 pitch count, so that Sparky will go to a Set up guy if he is available. 

By default, in the 6th inning forward, Sparky wants to use a Set Up guy.  He will select a Long A type only if the set up guy is tired.    So any save situations would go to the single Set Up A guy, whether he gets put into the game in the 6th inning or later (unless he is tired). 

That's how I would try to do this.

Tx biglenr, seems like a good idea. I,m brushing on that... although I think I'll go with Joss. From my Silver King experiments, I can easily use my pitcher in 110 games... I started this idea with Pete Alexander (400 IP+ as a closer!). I don't want to get to close to max usage early on. I'll probably go 1 game out of 2 for the first 20-30 games to give room, and then increase his usage to 2-3 rythm, then 3-4 and 4-5 in the last 10-20 games. Anyway, gonna be a first try at this record, so I might give a (better) second shot after if I fail.

Record is 68 and my team A should (need to) play around .750+ (team B playing .000+) in a 110+/52- proportion so 80-85 (90 if everything goes well) wins... and saves situations. There will be botch saves and tie games, plus Sparky and/or me screwing it, so I have room for very little and I need to score early.