What Are Crooked Numbers In Baseball?

Have you ever wondered what those crooked numbers in baseball mean? They’re called “ERA,” and they represent a pitcher’s earned run average. Keep reading to learn more about ERA and how it’s calculated.

What are crooked numbers?

Crooked numbers are baseball statistics that are out of the ordinary. They usually occur when a player has a career year or when a team goes on a hot streak. Crooked numbers can be found in any baseball stat, but they are most common in batting average and ERA.

A brief history of baseball statistics

Crooked numbers are a part of baseball lore. The term generally refers to a game in which one team scores multiple runs in an inning, while the other team fails to score at all. The term can also refer to any game in which the score is lopsided, regardless of how the runs are scored.

The origins of baseball statistics are murky, but it is clear that they began to be tracked in the late 19th century. In 1876, Henry Chadwick, often called the father of baseball statistics, published the first comprehensive statistical analysis of the sport. Chadwick’s work laid the foundation for the modern statistical analysis of baseball.

One of the first Crooked Numbers was recorded in 1883, when the New York Mutuals scored 11 runs in the first inning against the Brooklyn Grays. The Mutuals went on to win the game 18-5.

Since then, there have been many more Crooked Numbers, including some truly lopsided scores. In 2007, for example, the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 30-3. In that game, Rangers’ slugger Sammy Sosa hit 3 home runs and drove in 8runs.

Crooked Numbers are relatively rare; out of the more than 200,000 games that have been played in Major League Baseball history, only about 1% could be considered Crooked Numbers. But when they do occur, they are often remembered long after the final out has been recorded.

What do crooked numbers mean in baseball?

Crooked numbers in baseball refer to a scoreline where one team has a significantly larger amount of runs than the other. For example, if team A scores three runs, and team B scores ten, the scoreline would be considered “crooked” because team B would have a much higher chance of winning. In order for a scoreline to be considered crooked, the difference between the runs scored by each team must be at least five.

Crooked numbers often occur in baseball games that are blowouts, where one team is significantly better than the other and ends up winning by a large margin. However, they can also occur in close games where one team has a big inning, scoring multiple runs in quick succession. Crooked numbers can make games seem more lopsided than they actually are and often lead to frustration from fans of the losing team.

Despite their negative connotations, crooked numbers are an interesting part of baseball and can sometimes lead to unlikely comebacks. In 2012, for example, the San Francisco Giants scored ten runs in the ninth inning to come back from an 8-run deficit and beat the Atlanta Braves 14-10. This game is considered one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history and was made possible by a unlikely combination of hits, walks, and errors – otherwise known as a “crooked number”.

How do crooked numbers affect baseball?

In baseball, a “crooked number” is a score where one team outscores the other by a wide margin. For example, if the score is 9-1, that’s a crooked number. Crooked numbers can have a big impact on baseball games. Let’s take a closer look.

How do crooked numbers affect batting averages?

Crooked numbers are unbalanced box score lines in which the runs, hits, and errors do not add up to the same total. For example, a team may win a game 6-4 in which they had 11 hits and 4 errors. The crooked number in this case would be the 11 hits. Crooked numbers can have a significant effect on a player’s batting average.

When calculating batting average, only hits and at-bats are used. However, if a hitter reaches base on an error, it is counted as a hit. This means that if a hitter has a high number of hits but also a high number of errors, his batting average will be artificially inflated. Conversely, if a hitter has few hits but also few errors, his batting average will be artificially low.

Crooked numbers can also affect earned run averages (ERAs). If a pitcher gives up a lot of runs but also benefits from a lot of errors, his ERA will be artificially high. Conversely, if a pitcher gives up few runs but also benefits from few errors, his ERA will be artificially low.

Crooked numbers can have a significant impact on both batting averages and ERAs. However, they are generally not considered to be indicative of true skill level. A hitter with a high batting average may not actually be a better hitter than one with a lower batting average, and vice versa. Similarly, a pitcher with a low ERA may not actually be a better pitcher than one with a higher ERA.

How do crooked numbers affect earned run averages?

Crooked numbers are unearned runs that a pitcher gives up. They can really affect a pitcher’s earned run average (ERA).

For example, let’s say a pitcher gives up three earned runs in one inning, but those three runs came with two outs and nobody on base. In other words, it would have taken a lot of hits to score those three runs if the inning had played out differently.

That pitcher’s ERA for that game would be 3.00, but his “crooked number” would be 9.00. That means that if he had pitched to three more batters and gotten them all out, his ERA would have been 9.00 for the game.

Crooked numbers can be misleading, but they can also give you an idea of how well a pitcher is pitching when he gives up runs.

Conclusion

Crooked numbers are higher than the average statistical performance in baseball, and usually indicate a very good or very bad game. A player with a .300 batting average is considered good, but a player with a .350 batting average is considered great.