In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. Statistics play an important role in summarizing Baseball performance and evaluating players in the Sport. In Statistics, mean has two related meanings the Arithmetic mean (and is distinguished from the Geometric mean or Harmonic mean In Baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable (i In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of In Baseball, innings pitched (IP are the number of Innings a Pitcher has completed measured by the number of batters and Baserunners The ERA tells the average number of runs a pitcher would surrender over the course of a full game had he been kept in. It bears similar meaning to a hitter's batting average. Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine. Unearned runs, resulting from batters reaching base on errors (even errors by pitchers) do not count toward ERA if they later score. To a pitcher, a lower earned run average is preferable to a higher one.
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Origins
Henry Chadwick is credited with first devising the statistic, which caught on as a measure of pitching effectiveness after relief pitching came into vogue in the 1900s. Henry Chadwick may refer to Henry Chadwick (writer (1824-1908 early baseball writer Henry Chadwick (theologian (1920-2008 A relief pitcher or reliever is a Baseball or Softball Pitcher who enters the game after the Starting pitcher is removed due to injury Prior to 1900 — and, in fact, for many years afterward — pitchers were routinely expected to pitch a complete game, and their win-loss record was considered sufficient in determining their effectiveness. In Baseball, a complete game (denoted by CG) is the act of a Pitcher pitching an entire game himself without the benefit of a Relief pitcher A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead After pitchers like James Otis Crandall and Charlie Hall made names for themselves as relief specialists, gauging a pitcher's effectiveness became more difficult using the traditional method of tabulating wins and losses. James Otis Crandall ( October 8 1887 – August 17 1951) was a right handed Pitcher and Second baseman. The National League first kept official earned run average statistics in 1912 (the statistic was called Heydler's Statistic for a while, after then-NL secretary John Heydler), with the American League following suit afterward. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Baseball World Series - Chicago Cubs defeat New York Giants, 4 games to 3 with one tie April 20: The John Arnold Heydler ( July 10 1869 - April 18 1956) was an American executive in Major League Baseball. The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in
Modern-day baseball encyclopedias notate ERAs for earlier years, but these were computed many years after the actual accomplishments. Negro League pitchers are often rated by RA, or total runs allowed, since the statistics available for Negro League games did not always distinguish between earned and unearned runs. Part of the History of baseball in the United States series The Negro leagues were American professional Baseball leagues
ERA and baseball era
As with batting average, the threshold of a good ERA varies from year to year. Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively In the 1910s, a good ERA was below 2. The 1910s decade ran from January 1 1910 through December 31 1919 00 (two earned runs allowed per nine innings). In the late 1920s and 1930s, when conditions of the game changed in a way that strongly favored hitters, a good ERA was below 4. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. 00; only a pitcher of the caliber of Dazzy Vance or Lefty Grove would consistently post an ERA under 3. Clarence Arthur "Dazzy" Vance ( March 4, 1891 - February 16, 1961) was a star Major League Baseball pitcher during Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove ( March 6, 1900 &ndash May 22, 1975) was considered one of the greatest Pitchers in Major 00 during those years. In the 1960s, sub-2. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 00 ERAs returned as ballparks with different dimensions were introduced, among other influences. Today, an ERA under 4. 00 is again considered very good, although pitchers such as Greg Maddux and Pedro Martínez stand out as Grove and Vance did in their day. Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966 in San Angelo Texas) is a Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25 1971 in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball Starting pitcher for the
The all-time single-season record for lowest ERA in a season is 0. 86, set by Tim Keefe in 1880. Timothy John "Tim" Keefe ( January 1 1857 &ndash April 23 1933) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball See also 1880 in baseball Chicago White Stockings win National League championship The latest National The modern record is 0. 96, set by Dutch Leonard in 1914. Dutch Leonard may refer to Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher, Hubert Benjamin "Dutch" Leonard (1892-1952 left-handed pitcher who played between Baseball World Series - Boston Braves defeat Philadelphia Athletics, 4 games to 0 The lowest single-season ERA of a pitcher since 1950 is 1. 12, achieved by Bob Gibson in 1968. Pack Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935 in Omaha Nebraska) is a former right-handed Baseball Pitcher for the Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The career record is 1. 82, held by Ed Walsh, and the active player with the lowest career ERA (among those with more than 1,000 innings pitched, a threshold that filters out most relief pitchers) is Pedro Martínez, with an ERA of 2. This article deals with Ed Walsh baseball player For other meanings see Ed Walsh (disambiguation. Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25 1971 in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball Starting pitcher for the 80 through the 2007 season. News by date January 1 - College Football - In a game Mariano Rivera (career ERA of 2. Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama) is a Professional baseball player 35 through the end of the 2007 season) finished the 2007 season with 953 innings pitched, and has a strong chance to finish with more than 1,000 innings lifetime, earning the right, in many fans' minds, to be considered on an equal footing with starters in debates involving the term "greatest pitcher".
Some sources may list players with undefined or infinite career ERAs. This can happen if a pitcher allows one or more earned runs without retiring a batter (usually in a single appearance). An undefined ERA occasionally occurs at the beginning of a baseball season. It is sometimes incorrectly displayed as zero or as the lowest ranking ERA when it is more akin to the highest.
In modern baseball, ERAs can be interpreted in the following way:
| ERA | Meaning |
|---|---|
| <2. 00 | Considered exceptional and is rare. |
| 2. 00 to 3. 00 | Excellent, only achieved by best pitchers in the league. |
| 3. 00 to 4. 00 | Better than average. |
| 4. 00 to 5. 00 | Average. |
| 5. 00 to 6. 00 | Worse than average. |
| >6. 00 | Consistently having an ERA this high risks demotion to the bullpen, or a lower league. |
ERA for starters vs. relievers
It can be very misleading to judge relief pitchers solely on ERA, because they are charged only for runs scored by batters who reached base while batting against them. Thus, if a relief pitcher enters the game with his team leading by 1 run, 2 outs in the inning, and the bases loaded, then gives up a single which scores 2 runs, he is not charged with those runs. If he retires the next batter, his ERA for that game will be 0. 00 despite having surrendered the lead. (He is likely recorded with a blown save in this situation. In Baseball, a save (abbreviated SV or S) is credited to a Pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances ) Starting pitchers operate under the same rules but are almost never called upon to start pitching with runners already on base. In addition, relief pitchers know beforehand that they will only be pitching for a relatively short while, allowing them to throw each pitch with maximum energy, unlike starters who typically need to keep something in reserve in case they are called upon to pitch 7 or more innings. This freedom to use their maximum energy for a few innings, or even for just a few batters, helps relievers keep their ERAs down.
ERA, taken by itself, can also be misleading when trying to objectively judge starting pitchers, though not to the extent seen with relief pitchers. In Baseball or Softball, a starting pitcher, often abbreviated as starter, is the Pitcher who pitches the first pitch to the first batter of The advent of the designated hitter rule in the American League in 1973 made the pitching environment significantly different— pitchers spending all or most of their careers in the AL have been at a disadvantage in maintaining low ERAs compared to National League pitchers who can often get an easy out facing the opposition's ninth batter (oddly, Martinez and Rivera, the ERA kings of the last decade or so, have been mostly active in the American League). In Baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6
This discrepancy between the leagues also affects relievers, but not to the same degree, as National League relievers actually pitch to pitchers far less than do National League starters for a number of reasons, chiefly because relievers are usually active in later innings when pinch hitters tend to be used in the ninth spot. For other uses see Pinch hitter (cricket. In Baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. ERA is also affected somewhat by the park in which a pitcher's team plays half its games, as well as the tendencies of hometown official scorers to assign errors or base hits in plays that could be either.
For an extreme example, pitchers for the Colorado Rockies have historically faced many problems, all damaging to their ERAs. The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. The combination of high altitude and a semi-arid climate found in Denver causes fly balls to travel up to 10% farther than at sea level. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States Denver's altitude and low humidity also reduce the ability of pitchers to throw effective breaking balls, due to both reduced air resistance and to difficulty in gripping very dry baseballs. Also, the fences at Coors Field are not far enough from home plate to compensate for the increased fly-ball distance. Coors Field, located in Denver Colorado, is the home field of the National League 's Colorado Rockies. The field also has a relatively small amount of foul territory. These conditions have been countered to some extent since 2002 by the team's use of humidors to store baseballs before games. A humidor is any kind of box or room with constant Humidity (and often Temperature as well used to store Cigars or pipe tobacco These difficult circumstances for Rockies pitchers may not adversely affect their won-lost records, since opposing pitchers must deal with the same problems. Indeed, hometown hurlers have some advantage in any given game since they are physically acclimated to the altitude and often develop techniques to mitigate the challenges of this ballpark. Still, conditions there tend to inflate Rockie ERAs relative to the rest of the league.
Sabermetric treatment of ERA
In modern baseball, Sabermetrics uses several defense independent pitching statistics including a defense-Independent ERA in an attempt to measure a pitcher's ability regardless of factors outside his control. Sabermetrics is the analysis of Baseball through objective evidence especially Baseball statistics. In Baseball statistics, Defense-Independent ERA ( dERA) created by Voros McCracken, projects what a pitcher's Earned run average (ERA would have Further, because of the dependence of ERA on factors over which a pitcher has little control, forecasting future ERAs on the basis of the past ERAs of a given pitcher is not very reliable and can be improved if analysts rely on other performance indicators such as strike out rates and walk rates. For example, this is the premise of Nate Silver's forecasts of ERAs using his PECOTA system. Nathaniel Read Silver (b 1978, East Lansing, Michigan; now residing in Chicago Illinois) is Managing Partner of Baseball Prospectus PECOTA, an acronym for P layer E mpirical C omparison and O ptimization T est A lgorithm is a Sabermetric system [1] Silver also developed a "quick" earned run average (QuikERA or QERA) to calculate an ERA from peripheral statistics including strikeouts, walks, and groundball percentage. Nathaniel Read Silver (b 1978, East Lansing, Michigan; now residing in Chicago Illinois) is Managing Partner of Baseball Prospectus Unlike Peripheral ERA, it does not take into account park effects. Peripheral ERA (PERA is a Pitching statistic created by the Baseball Prospectus team See also List of baseball jargon to paint To throw pitches at the edges of the strike zone. [2]
All-time leaders
| Rank | ERA | Player | Team(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. 82 | Ed Walsh | Chicago (AL), Boston (NL) | 1904–17 |
| 2 | 1. This article deals with Ed Walsh baseball player For other meanings see Ed Walsh (disambiguation. The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year 89 | Addie Joss | Cleveland | 1902–10 |
| 3 | 2. Adrian Joss ( April The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting 04 | A. G. Spalding | Boston (NA), Chicago (NL) | 1871–77 |
| 4 | 2. Albert Goodwill Spalding ( Byron, Illinois September 2 1850 &ndash September 9 1915 in Point Loma, California) was a professional Baseball The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 06 | Mordecai Brown | St. Louis (NL), Chicago (NL), Cincinnati, Brooklyn (FL), St. Louis (FL), Chicago (FL), Chicago (NL) | 1903–16 |
| 5 | 2. Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown ( October 19 1876 &ndash February 14 1948) nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner" was an The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati Ohio, USA The Brooklyn Tip Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915 The St Louis Terriers were a Baseball club that played in the short-lived Federal League in 1914 and 1915. The Chicago Whales were a Federal League Baseball club in Chicago from 1914 to 1915 The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year 10 | John Ward | Providence, New York (NL), Brooklyn (NL), New York (NL) | 1878–94 |
See also
- Adjusted ERA+ (Park-adjusted ERA)
- Catcher's ERA
- Component ERA
- Defense-Independent ERA
- Earned run
- PERA
- QERA
- Run average
Notes
- ^ See Alan Schwarz, "Numbers Suggest Mets are Gambling on Zambrano," New York Times, August 22, 2004. John Ward may refer to John Ward (pirate (c 1553-c 1622 English pirate and Barbary Corsair John Ward (composer (1571-1638 English Providence Grays was a team name used by several major and minor league baseball teams based in Providence Rhode Island. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ is a statistic in Baseball. Catcher's ERA or CERA in Baseball statistics is the Earned run average of the Pitchers pitching when the Catcher in question is catching Component ERA or ERC is a Baseball statistic invented by Bill James. In Baseball statistics, Defense-Independent ERA ( dERA) created by Voros McCracken, projects what a pitcher's Earned run average (ERA would have In Baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable (i Peripheral ERA (PERA is a Pitching statistic created by the Baseball Prospectus team Nathaniel Read Silver (b 1978, East Lansing, Michigan; now residing in Chicago Illinois) is Managing Partner of Baseball Prospectus In Baseball statistics, run average ( RA) refers to measures of the rate at which runs are allowed or scored Alan Schwarz (born July 3 1968 in Scarsdale New York) is a prolific sports writer, currently on staff at The New York Times
- ^ See Nate Silver, "Playoff Hurlers," BaseballProspectus.com (September 27, 2006). Nathaniel Read Silver (b 1978, East Lansing, Michigan; now residing in Chicago Illinois) is Managing Partner of Baseball Prospectus
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