Entering his first game as a relief pitcher with the bases loaded, Righetti did not allow an inherited runner to score, retiring the final seven batters of the game. He proved even more effective in relief, averaging 32 saves per season over the next seven years with the Yankees, and being named an All-Star in 1986 and 1987. On October 4, 1986, he saved both games of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, finishing the season with 46 saves, and breaking the major league record shared by Dan Quisenberry and Bruce Sutter. The record would stand until Bobby Thigpen saved 57 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Righetti retained the single-season record for left-handers until 1993, when Randy Myers saved 53 games for the Chicago Cubs; Righetti still owns the AL record for left-handers.