What Is An Earned Run In Baseball?

An earned run is a run scored by a batter against a pitcher, which is not charged to the pitcher as a result of a fielding error, passed ball, or wild pitch.

Introduction

In baseball, an earned run is any run that was truly the result of effective hitting and baserunning, without the aid of an error or a passed ball. Simply put, if a runner scores without the benefit of a fielder’s mistake, it’s an earned run.

Earned runs are important to pitchers because they are used to calculate a pitcher’s ERA, or earned run average. This statistic is a key measure of a pitcher’s effectiveness, so pitchers try to minimize the number of earned runs they allow.

What is an earned run?

An earned run is a run that scored by the batter due to his own hitting, bunting or base-running, and not as a result of the defensive play of the opposing team. In order for a run to be earned, the pitcher must have given up three bases or less while the batter is still at bat. If the pitcher gives up four bases while the batter is still at bat, then the run that scores is unearned.

How are earned runs calculated?

In baseball, an earned run is any run that was scored by the offense without the aid of an error or a passed ball. Earned runs are used in calculating a pitcher’s earned run average (ERA).

To calculate ERA, the total number of earned runs is divided by the total number of innings pitched. So, if a pitcher gives up three earned runs in six innings, his ERA would be 3/6, or 0.50.

Earned runs are different than unearned runs, which are runs that are scored due to an error or a passed ball. If a pitcher gives up three unearned runs in six innings pitched, his ERA would be 3/9, or 0.33 – this is because unearned runs do not count against a pitcher’s ERA.

What is the difference between an earned run and an unearned run?

In baseball, an earned run is a run that scored by the batting team without the benefit of an error or a passed ball. Earned runs are used to calculate both a pitcher’s ERA and a team’s fielding percentage.

An unearned run, on the other hand, is a run that scored as a result of an error or a passed ball. Unearned runs are not included in either a pitcher’s ERA or a team’s fielding percentage.

Conclusion

In baseball, an earned run is defined as a run that scored by the batter as a direct result of their own hitting, bunting or base-running, when normal batting order is followed. An earned run is counted even if it’s the result of an error. It’s important to note that a pitcher can give up an unearned run if the run scored is the direct result of an error committed by the defense.