What’s a Quality Start in Baseball?

A quality start in baseball is a statistic that measures whether the starting pitcher pitched well enough to earn a win.

What is a quality start?

A quality start is when a starting pitcher works at least six innings while giving up three or fewer runs. The quality start was created by Bill James in 1985 as a way to measure how effective a pitcher is.

The definition of a quality start

In baseball, a quality start is a term used to evaluate the starters. A pitcher earns a quality start by pitching at least six innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs, or four or fewer earned runs with unearned runs factored in. This usually results in a decision of either a win or a no-decision.

The history of the quality start stat

The history of the quality start stat is actually pretty interesting. The stat was created by John Lowe, a sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press, in 1985. Lowe was looking for a way to measure a starting pitcher’s effectiveness, and he settled on a simple formula: a quality start is when a pitcher throws at least six innings and gives up three or fewer runs.

The quality start has since become an important stat in baseball, as it provides a quick way to measure a starter’s performance. It’s also become a key part of advanced baseball analysis, as it can be used to identify pitchers who are likely to succeed (or fail) in the future.

Despite its importance, the quality start remains something of a controversial stat. Some critics argue that it doesn’t really measure anything worthwhile, while others argue that it’s too easy to achieve. Regardless of the controversy, the quality start remains one of the most commonly used stats in baseball.

How is a quality start measured?

A quality start is a metric in baseball that measures whether or not a starting pitcher has given up three runs or less in six or more innings pitched. The quality start has been around since the mid-1980s, and while it’s not a perfect measure, it’s a good way to evaluate a starter’s performance.

The criteria for a quality start

In order for a pitcher to be credited with a quality start, he must meet certain criteria. The pitcher must complete at least six innings while giving up three runs or less. If the pitcher completed six innings and gave up three runs, but one of those was unearned, he would still receive credit for a quality start. A quality start can also be achieved by a pitcher who throws seven or more innings while giving up two runs or less.

The formula for calculating a quality start

A quality start is a metric used in baseball to judge the starting pitcher’s performance. The criteria for a quality start are that the pitcher must complete at least six innings pitched, and allow three or fewer earned runs. A quality start does not guarantee a victory for the pitcher’s team, but it does increase the team’s chances of winning.

What are the benefits of a quality start?

A quality start is a metric in baseball that is used to measure how effective a pitcher is. The main goal of a quality start is to keep the opposing team from scoring runs. A quality start is important because it can help a team win games. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of a quality start.

The benefits for the pitcher

A pitcher who earns a quality start has completed at least six innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs. The importance of a quality start is that it generally indicates a pitcher has pitched well enough to give their team a chance to win the game.

Some research suggests that, on average, a pitcher who throws a quality start will have a better chance of winning the game than a pitcher who does not (regardless of how their team ultimately fares). This is because pitchers who complete six or more innings while also giving up three or fewer runs tend to be more effective overall than pitchers who do not.

Additionally, quality starts are important for pitchers in terms of their individual statistics. For example, a pitcher’s earned run average (ERA) will usually be lower if they earn more quality starts. Therefore, pitchers who earn a lot of quality starts are often considered to be among the best in the league.

The benefits for the team

A quality start is when a pitcher throws at least six innings and gives up three runs or less. This is not an official baseball statistic, but it is used by many fans and analysts to judge how effective a pitcher is.

There are several benefits for a team when their pitcher has a quality start. The first is that it saves the bullpen. A quality start means that the pitcher has pitched well enough to stay in the game for at least six innings, which means that the bullpen does not have to come in as early. This can be important because it means that the bullpen will be fresh later in the game if they are needed.

Another benefit of a quality start is that it puts the team in a good position to win the game. If a team’s pitchers can regularly give them quality starts, then they will have a good chance to win more games than if their pitchers are giving up a lot of runs.

finally, quality starts are important because they help lower a team’s ERA. ERA is a stat that measures how many runs a pitcher gives up on average over nine innings pitched. If a team has pitchers who can give them quality starts, then their ERA will be lower than if their pitchers are giving up four or five runs per game.

Overall, quality starts are important because they save the bullpen, help the team win more games, and lower a team’s ERA.

How often do pitchers achieve a quality start?

A quality start is defined as a start in which the pitcher pitches at least six innings and gives up three or fewer runs. In order for a pitcher to get credit for a quality start, he must complete the game or pitch at least eight innings and his team must win.

The percentage of quality starts in the MLB

In order to be considered a quality start, a pitcher must complete at least six innings pitched and surrender three or fewer runs. The term was first coined by John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press in 1985.

According to FanGraphs, the percentage of quality starts has been on the rise since 2002, peaking in 2008 at 64.4%. That number dipped below 60% for the first time since 1995 in 2017, when it settled at 58.8%.

There were 1,430 quality starts in the 2018 MLB regular season, or 58.9%, almost identical to the previous year’s total. That was despite an increase of more than 100 pitchers qualifying for the ERA title (1,439 in 2018 vs 1,334 in 2017).

The percentage of quality starts by pitchers

In baseball, a quality start is defined as a start in which the pitcher works at least six innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs. A quality start gives the team a chance to win the game, which is why it is such an important stat for pitchers.

In order to find out how often pitchers achieve a quality start, we need to look at the percentage of quality starts by pitchers. The following table shows the percentage of quality starts by pitchers in the Major Leagues:

Pitcher Percentage of Quality Starts
Felix Hernandez 69.2%
Clayton Kershaw 67.9%
Madison Bumgarner 67.1%
Zack Greinke 66.7%
Chris Sale 65.8%
Johnny Cueto 63.6%

What are the consequences of not having a quality start?

A quality start in baseball is when a starting pitcher completes at least six innings pitched and allows three or fewer earned runs. If a pitcher does not have a quality start, it often means that the team has to use its bullpen early and often, which can lead to fatigue and poorer performance later in the game.

The consequences for the pitcher

If a pitcher does not have a quality start, the game may be over before it even begins. The pitcher may be pulled from the game and replaced with a reliever. This is often seen as a sign of weakness by the coaching staff and can lead to demotions in the minor leagues or being removed from the starting rotation altogether. For major league pitchers, not having a quality start can also lead to lost bonuses and incentives in their contracts.

The consequences for the team

If a team doesn’t have a quality start, it means their pitchers didn’t do their job. They didn’t give the team a chance to win. A quality start is important because it gives the team’s offense a chance to get going. If the pitchers can’t hold the other team down, it puts a lot of pressure on the offense to score runs. This can lead to the team getting behind and ultimately losing the game.