Thread: ERA question

ERA's need to be based upon a 7 inning game. That's how many innings are in an official game. Anything less is padding the stats. If you change the number of innings, that comparing stats is useless.

On this subject, I use iScore and it creates a spreadsheet and the ERA is based upon 9 innings. I have to then go in and change their calculations. Not real complicated to multiply it by .778, just a hassle. Anyone know how I can change this in the app and where? I have it set for a 7 inning game of softball. I'm thinking it's an error in their program.

Just because I like to argue, I'm going to push this issue ...

How many of you have ever seen or cared about the ERA or a travel ball pitcher that was not your own? The only ERA that anybody cares about would be high school or college, or something that has a league. OK, maybe some of the top travel teams in the country would provide ERA's to college recruiters, I don't know. Those folks have a duty to use 7 innings, I agree, or else it's deceptive.

But the original poster asked how you calculated travel ball ERA for your team. Unless you have a travel ball team with statistics that other people care about, which is rare, then you should calculate the ERA in a way that is most meaningful to you. It's deceptive to me to use 7 innings because that's not the game we play. We play about 4.5 innings. By using 4.5 IP, I know how many runs I can expect my pitcher to give up in a game if the stars align and we play perfect defense. That's the information that I want to know. Nobody will ever ask me the ERA of my pitchers. As with most travel teams, our stats are to help the coaches and nothing else.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Originally Posted by CoogansBluff

Just because I like to argue, I'm going to push this issue ...

How many of you have ever seen or cared about the ERA or a travel ball pitcher that was not your own? The only ERA that anybody cares about would be high school or college, or something that has a league. OK, maybe some of the top travel teams in the country would provide ERA's to college recruiters, I don't know. Those folks have a duty to use 7 innings, I agree, or else it's deceptive.

But the original poster asked how you calculated travel ball ERA for your team. Unless you have a travel ball team with statistics that other people care about, which is rare, then you should calculate the ERA in a way that is most meaningful to you. It's deceptive to me to use 7 innings because that's not the game we play. We play about 4.5 innings. By using 4.5 IP, I know how many runs I can expect my pitcher to give up in a game if the stars align and we play perfect defense. That's the information that I want to know. Nobody will ever ask me the ERA of my pitchers. As with most travel teams, our stats are to help the coaches and nothing else.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Just wondering what constitutes 4.5 innings. Is it 12 outs (4 innings), 15 outs (5 innings), or 13.5 outs (4.5 innings)!? Regardless, as long as its a number that you find useful in some way...swing away.