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I have a question about ERA's. We would normally play 6 innings in regulation (11U). We don't always play 6 innings though, mercy rules or time limits keep us from playing all six. Truth be told 4 innings is about the average. Should I go in and change the number of innings that was completed every game or keep it at a standard 6?

To have a more meaningful ERA, you should change the number of innings per game. I changed my default to 4 since that seems to be how many we usually get in during timed games. It is easy to change it to a higher number during the game if it looks like you will go longer.

Thank you! That's kind of what I was thinking, but didn't know for sure.

You always base an ERA on the SCHEDULED NUMBER OF INNINGS. Even if you average four innings per-game, you would still calculate the ERA based on a six inning game.

I would disagree from a youth perspective. The amount of scheduled innings (max) is pretty irrelevant since most games are timed and it is rare that the max number of innings are played. Basing your games on 6 when most games are 4 will not give you relevant pitcher stats. At the older ages basing it on 6 may make more sense.

My .02...

Agree that its based on scheduled innings.

A MLB game that goes fewer than 9 innings (or more than 9), does not change the era calculation, right?

If you ask the Elias Sports Bureau, Major League Baseball Advanced Media or even S.T.A.T.S. Inc. they would concur with my statement that you base an ERA on the schedule number of innings, not the number you chose (in this case it would be four) because a team doesn't play all six.

Also, keep in mind that if you do use the six inning rule, your pitcher ERA numbers would actually decrease so it is of benefit to your team, and it's pitchers, that you keep to basing the ERA on scheduled number of innings.

FYI: I work youth tournaments during the entire month of July, we base ERA on the scheduled number of innings in a game, not a number that we choose JUST BECAUSE.

Please consider keeping your ERA numbers true, not basing them on what you think.

Just my own two cents.

I'll stick with 4. We've never played a 6 inning game. Not interested in making stats look better or worse, but am interested in what reflects what we actually play.

PERSONAL OPINION TO TEAM MOM -- Your stats are not official. Your are basing stats on what you think rather than going by the rule. Please consider basing your pitchers stats on six innings as that is the scheduled number of innings. Your only cheating your own players with miscued numbers based on your own opinion rather than following the prescribed rule of the game.

team mom wrote:I'll stick with 4. We've never played a 6 inning game. Not interested in making stats look better or worse, but am interested in what reflects what we actually play.

I'm curious about this statement. Is that true? You NEVER played a 6 inning game despite being scheduled to do so? Why is that? We play 6 inning games and I bet 75-80% of them go the full 6. The majority of those that do not are due to mercy rule. A few are due to time limits.

Again, just curious as to what is precluding you from finishing games 100% of the time. What age is this?