In all sports people make errors but in baseball the pitchers stats are adjusted for that fact. They have the ERA , not just a runs allowed average. Is this just tradition?
In FB a QB can have passes dropped but those still count as incomplete
Because the pitcher is not responsible for the error. Why should he be punished for it?
A dropped pass is not necessarily the receiver’s fault; it could easily have been a problem with the throw from the QB that caused the receiver to drop the ball. You can’t say who was the cause of the dropped pass for certainty every time, but when the ball goes through Buckner’s legs, it is not the fault of the pitcher.
It might make sense to charge runs to the pitcher when the pitcher makes the error, but it’s far too late to make that change.
Originally, the earned/unearned run split was devised to determine how much credit the offense deserved for scoring runs. Over time, this has shifted so that people rarely differentiate between earned and unearned runs scored, but pay close attention to these statistics for pitchers and defense.
Basically it’s because, historically, defenses were really bad so it made sense to remove errors from the pitcher’s line. And it does have a certain logic to it (as RealityChuck points out).
However, I think RA works better. Generally, pitchers that are good at avoiding earned runs are also good at avoiding unearned runs, and sometimes ERA can distort a pitcher’s overall performance. The logic also breaks down when you realize that ERA doesn’t take into account all of the superlative plays made behind a pitcher - so it doesn’t really remove defense from the equation at all.
Long-term most talent evaluators (and sabremetric-minded fans) are going towards results-independent metrics anyways, where the component statistics (things a pitcher controls directly) produce a number that should be independent of what the defense does or fails to do behind him.
As a pointless aside, I was recently looking at the statistics for Old Hoss Radbourn’s ridiculous 1884 season (59-12, ERA of 1.38). In 678 2/3 (!) innings, he gave up 216 runs, just 104 of which were earned. Less than half!
(Different times: 73 starts, 73 complete games, and 2 saves.)
Good point about the FB QB.
FB QB ratings would be more accurate, hence imporved, if dropped passes were
accounted for in the ratings system. I hope the FB stats managers get around to it.
Only if you can know whose fault the dropped pass was. It isn’t necessarily the receiver (even though he takes the blame).
The pitcher doesn’t entirely get out of getting charged for fielding errors. Tim Lincecum lost a game last season giving up nothing but one unearned run, but he still got charged with a loss. I imagine there are other, similar games in history.
I am not sure what you mean by this.
There would inevitably be some close decisions, but I have watched enough
baseball to know most BB error calls are uncontroversial, and I have watched
enough football to know most dropped pass calls should be likewise.
This is another really good example of why we should add wins and losses to the scrap heap in terms of pitcher stats. His offense’s complete inability to score runs (and field properly) shouldn’t count against him. Wins and losses are team stats - why apply them individually (and to just one player)?
Andy Hawkins lost a no-hitter* in 1990 when he was on the Yankees by the score of 4-0, all of the runs being unearned.
*Technically not a no-hitter since as the visiting pitcher he only pitched eight innings.
I disagree with this. The pitcher is responsible for letting the batter put the ball in play at all.
On one hand, I understand the sentiment behind “unearned runs.” If Justin Verlander gives up a cheap grounder and the shortstop muffs it, allowing a man to get on base who eventually scores… I understand why you might think, “It wasn’t Justin’s fault- that SHOULD have been an easy out, so we shouldn’t charge Justin with that run.”
Similarly, I understand that, if Ryan Braun hits a routine chopper and the third baseman throws the ball 5 feet over the first baseman’s head, people will say, “That SHOULD have been an out, so it should count AGAINST Braun’s batting average.”
But really, aren’t there many situations where Verlander SHOULD have given up several runs, but was saved because the third baseman made a diving catch of a line drive? Where Verlander yielded a deep fly ball that SHOULD have been a homer, except for a perfectly timed jump by the center fielder?
Similarly, aren’t there times when a Ryan Braun SHOULD have had a double, but somebody robbed him with a spectacular defensive play?
If we don’t blame the pitcher for runs scored by guys who “should” have been out, shouldn’t we blame them for runs that WEREN’T scored by guys who WOULD have scored if not for a stellar defensive play?
If we DON’T give hitters credit for getting on base due to bad fielding, shouldn’t we GIVE them credit for what SHOULD have been hits, if not for stellar defensive plays?
The pitcher does not try to strike players out every single time they throw a pitch. It is a known (and proven) strategy for pitchers to induce ground balls. With that intent, it is the fielder’s responsibility to field the ball correctly, and the scorekeeper’s responsibility to tell the difference between a fielder’s error and a hit too difficult to field.
Short answer: Cuz we can.
One of baseball’s greatest features is the discrete nature of each at-bat, each pitch, each field, and each throw. When only one guy is at the plate, it’s easy to say “OK, it’s HIS turn to help the team right now,” and when the shortstop comes up with the ball, it’s possible to say “now that specific player must to x and y to be successful.”
In football, you can’t do that. You don’t know if it would’ve been better for the team to run a draw play or an outside pitch or a long bomb. You don’t know if the receiver should’ve juked or driven through the cornerback. You don’t know where his route was supposed to be precisely, and you don’t know if the quarterback should’ve held onto the ball for three more seconds.
Sabremetrics takes this into account and gives stats for a pitcher “with a normal defense” behind him, adding or subtracting hits based on how good his fielders are compared to the league average.