Baseball Scoring Help (1 Viewer)

[harrycarey]

I'm having an argument in the press box about whether runs are earned or unearned. Here's the inning:

E5

BB

1-5 FO (tapper back to pitcher, easily would've gotten man at 1st if runner hadn't been on 2nd)

1-3

1B 2RBI

2B RBI

HBP

1B RBI

1B RBI

6-3

I say none are earned, they say the are all earned. What is it?

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

All UNearned.

You are I and undisputably correct.

Baseball rules specifically say that a runner that scores after the 3rd out SHOULD have been made is unearned.

 

[weisguy0831]

3 of the first 4 batters of the inning should have been out. Therefore, all runs are unearned. This is a pretty simple inning ... If you're arguing about this, go out and by the little handbook/rulebook for the future. They can get a lot more complicated.

 

[The Jerminator]

All UNEARNED.

Worked the Press Box in college and four four years in the minors FWIW...

 

[denver90]

I concur, 0 ER.

 

[David Yudkin]

Anyone that said UNEARNED is right . . . unless there is more to the story than indicated. I believe that it IS possible for some of these runs to be earned, although none of them to the pitcher that started the inning.

If the team SWITCHED PITCHERS, I believe that when a new pitcher takes the mound his stats start all over regardless of whether or not the inning should have been over--ie the team would need to commit another error for him to be able to allow unearned runs. In this case, had the team made a pitching change after the fourth batter, IIRC the first pitcher would have allowed 0 ER while the second one would be credited with 2 ER.

I also believe that in the official TEAM stats that the team would be credited for allowing 0 ER (even though the second pitcher got charged with 2 ER). While that sounds crazy, this happened last year in a Red Sox game and that's how they explained it. Don't ask me for what rule this falls under as I don't have time to search for it.

 

[David Yudkin]

I did find a link for the rule I just cited . . .

LINK

When pitchers are changed in the middle of an inning, and one or more errors have already occurred, it is possible to have a run charged as earned against a specific pitcher, but unearned to the team. The simplest example is when the defensive team records two outs and makes an error on a play that would have been the third out. A new pitcher comes into the game, and the next batter hits a home run. The runner who reached on the error comes around to score, and his run is unearned to both the prior pitcher and the team. However, the run scored by the batter is counted as earned against the relief pitcher, but unearned to the team (since there should have already been three outs).