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Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:49 am
by hogateb
First of all, great app!! I love this thing.
I am the official team statustition for our 9/10 year old team so this is really important.

Also want to say that I am NOT even close to a baseball expert, which is why I am running through the scenario below.
First batter of the inning is walked and reaches third base on steals while second batter is at bat. Batter who is currently at bat reaches full count, pop fly to Left Field, Error in catching for the out and batter reaches first base on error. Runner on third scores. Is this an earned or unearned run?
Orginally not scored as an error until game was completed. I re-scored this play via play by play after sending out stats to our coaching staff. Statistics show that the second batter reached base on an error which did not constitute a hit, but it shows that the run scores was earned. Is this correct? I only ask because I have a coach telling me that this is not an earned run, but everything that I find says that a walked batter who scores does constitute an ER. Am I crazy here?
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 7:55 am
by Bryan D Shepherd
It is an unearned run unless one of the batters behind the batter who reached on error gets a hit, then the run would become earned because the run would've scored on the hit anyway. This is because there are less than two outs. Had there been two outs, the run would be permanently unearned because that run should never have scored.
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:06 am
by hogateb
Slightly off topic, but would this be considered a bug? Or does editing the game by play-by-play not change pitching stats in cases like this one?
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:23 am
by CSThunderCoach
Stats can be changes after a game has ended if the "offiical scorekeeper" finds an issue with the way a particular play was scored. MLB games have changed days later - rare case. But it is not uncommon for the scorekeeper to change a hit to an error, or an error to a hit, several innings after the initial play.
The only thing you cannot change when editing pitch-by-pitch is the actual outcome of the game. If the game ends with a score of 3-2, you cannot change any aspect of that game that may impact the final score. Changing hits/errors & earned/unearned, generally, will not impact the result of a game.
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 8:35 am
by FTMSupport
You did not say what happened during the rest of the inning. The rest of the inning will determine if the run is earned or not as Bryan noted. If you want to give a complete inning recap, we can determine if the run is earned or not. Thank you.
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:03 am
by OhioTex
earned/unearned takes some thinking by the scorekepper.
dito FTM, the rest of the inning matters A BUNCH. to assess earned/unearned, you have to play out the inning with out the error to make determinations...
(btw.. so far nothing in this thread suggests program bug.. )
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:12 am
by CSThunderCoach
In your scenario (1 Out, R1 on 3B, B1 - ROE - E7, R1 scores on error)
If the rest of the inning plays out (simple versions): B2 Ks, B3 BB, B4 Kc - run is unearned - run would not have scored without the error. (make adjustments to pitch-by-pitch to score run as advancing "on the throw" or "error")
However if the inning ended: B2 H(S), B3 BB, B4 Kc, B5 Ks - run is earned as the run would have scored on the single anyway. (make adjustments to pitch-by-pitch to score run as "advanced by batter")
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:21 am
by hogateb
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. Like I said, definately not an expert with reguard to baseball or scoring of the game.
The top of the 4th innning went as follows:
Player #2, Ball, Foul, Ball, Ball, Strike (looking), Foul, Foul, Ball, Walk
Player #6, Strike (looking), Ball, Pickoff Attempt, Strike (swinging), [Player #2 steals Third], Ball, Ball, Reach on Error, [Player #2 Scores]
Player #1, Strike (looking), [Player #6 steals Second], Pickoff Attempt, Strike (swinging), Ball, Foul, Ball, Strikeout Swinging
Player # 7, Strike (looking), Foul, Strikeout Looking
Player #10, Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball, Walk
Player # 4, Ball, [Player #6 steals Third], [Player #10 steals Second], Pickoff Attempt, Strike (looking), Strike (swinging), Ball, Strikeout Swinging
End of Ballgame (90 minute time limit reached, home team was in the lead)
Again, thanks for the feedback.
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:23 am
by CSThunderCoach
Unearned run! No ball in play after the error - run would not have scored without the error.
Re: Earned Run?
Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 12:03 pm
by hogateb
Thanks again everyone. I did not change the run in as reached on error, I assumed that by changing B2 to reaching base on error that the error "flowed" down to the run scored, but as I found in the play by play, that was not the case. I changed this to reflect the error and the pitching stats changed too.
Details always seem to get me!