Baseball: What is a Pitching Win?

A win in baseball is not always credited to the baseball pitcher that started the game for the winning team. It is credited to the pitcher on the team that was pitching when the team took the last lead. In order for a starting pitcher to receive credit for a win, they must complete five innings of pitching. A winning pitcher cannot also be credited with a save in the same game. Whenever a pitcher receives a win or a loss, they are referred to as the pitchers of record. Each baseball game played will result in one pitcher receiving a win and one receiving a loss. Any other pitcher will be given a no decision, but one may be given a save.

A pitcher's record is noted in wins and losses together. Therefore, for a record of 20-10, the pitcher has won twenty games, while they have lost ten games. In the early stages of the Major League Baseball, it was a common occurrence for pitchers to win more than forty times in a season. Because of rule changes and standards that have developed, a pitcher may not even make around forty starts in a season to preserve his arm. Due to hitting improving, the ball must have been thrown harder, demanding more from the pitcher. Therefore, quality became the standard and not quantity.

During the 1930's, winning thirty games would be considered impressive. During the 1960's, winning twenty-five games was the special mark. Now, since around 1990, if a pitcher wins twenty games, this is considered impressive. This is done less and less due to the demand that is being eased off of pitchers.

Wins are a big part of determining the Cy Young Award winner. They are less a gauge of how good the pitcher is. This is because the pitcher may perform well but not get run support from his team. For example, Ben Sheets lost fourteen games in 2004 but led the season in strikeout-to-walk ratio and was top five in ERA. Wins also depend on the bullpen, because if the save is blown, the starting pitcher is not given the win. Still, a win is earned on many occasions, as only the best of the best are able to record high amounts of wins every season. There is also a quality start statistic that can be used to determine what percentage of the time the pitcher will likely win due to his start.

Wikipedia, win (baseball)