What makes an unearned run

The shortstop boots it and the runner reaches first base. Those two runs are unearned because the error should have been the third out of the inning. Some situations are more difficult to figure out. But every situation boils down to the scorer trying to make sense of it all. A passed ball is not recorded as an error, but when a run scores as the result of a passed ball, it does not count as an earned run against a pitcher.

After a strikeout, if the catcher fails to hold on to the third strike, and the batter reaches first base safely as a result, either a passed ball or a wild pitch must be awarded. But the easiest and official way to think about it is, a fielder is given an error if, in the judgment of the official scorer, he fails to convert an out on a play that an average fielder should have made.

There are a few exceptions, however. A player does not receive an RBI when the run scores as a result of an error or ground into double play. The most common examples of RBIs are run-scoring hits. However, players also receive an RBI for a bases-loaded walk or hit by pitch.

If you mean a bases-loaded walk, yes: the runner on third scores and it is an earned run for the pitcher and a run batted in for the hitter. Yes , errors and passed balls do not lead to a earned run… but if a batter walks and the next batter hits a home run both are scored as earned runs. There are certain exceptions: a player does not receive an RBI if he hits into a double play and a run scores, if a run is scored on a wild pitch or passed ball or as the result of an error, or if the pitcher balks.

This means that some runs may be considered earned for an individual relief pitcher but not for the team as a whole, so team earned runs are often less than the sum of the earned runs allowed by the individual pitchers.

There is one other specific case where a run is considered unearned, which is in leagues or competitions where the Schiller Rule is in effect in extra innings. In this case, any run scored by a runner who was already on base at the start of the inning is considered to be unearned, without regard to what string of events led to the runner crossing home plate. However, runs scored by players who actually came to bat before reaching base are considered earned or unearned according to the rules outlined above.

A consequence of this is that if a batter reaches base through a fielder's choice, any run that he scores is also unearned, as his presence on the bases is the result of there having been a pre-existing runner for which no pitcher is responsible. Earned runs were originally intended as an offensive measure, showing how much of a team's scoring was the result of their batting success rather than the other team's fielding mistakes.

Today is it used as a measure of pitching , showing how many of the runs given up by a pitcher were the result of his own mistakes rather than defensive failures. See also: Earned Run Average. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Are you a Stathead, too? Subscribe to our Free Newsletter. This Week in Sports Reference Find out when we add a feature or make a change. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports?

We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Second, not every error is created equal -- and some plays that are ruled as hits can be a product of subpar defense. Although unearned runs don't hurt a pitcher's ERA, they can hurt a pitcher in other ways -- namely in his quest to win. Every error means a bigger burden on the pitcher in terms of pitches thrown.