Which Pitcher Gets The Win?
Jennifer from Georgia asks:
When more than 1 pitcher pitches in a single game, which one gets the credit for the win or loss?
There are many things that goes into determining a which pitcher gets the win or loss.
First off, what goes into a loss: A pitcher is credited with a loss whenever he gives up the run that puts the opposing team in the lead and that team never gives up that lead. In other words, if a pitcher gives up a run to the opponents to make the score 1-0 and then the final score ends up being 3-2 in favor of the opposing team, as long as the opposing team never gave up the lead then that pitcher who gave up the first run is given the loss.
The rules for who gets the win are a bit more confusing. For a starting pitcher, if he goes 5 or more innings and his team gets the lead while he is pitching and never relinquishes it, then the starting pitcher gets the win. However, if he goes less than five innings or a lead is taken while a relief pitcher is pitching (if only one relief pitcher pitches in the game) then the reliever gets the win. Finally, if more than one relief pitcher pitches in the scenerio mentioned above, than it is up to the official score keeper to determine the most effective relief pitcher and then give that pitcher the win.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Official Scorer, MLB Rule 10.17