Is it unfair that a pitcher if he is pulled from the mound leaving men on base is charged with an earned run ?

Dear Rex Neanderthalex:

The rules regarding how to score a baseball game (including determining which pitcher is to be charged with an earned run) are very complicated, but the basic principal is straightforward enough: Each and every distinct action on the playing field has to be attributed to one and only one particular player.

Let us examine the case of a pitcher who allows men to reach base, is then pulled off of the mound, whereupon those men he allowed on base score during the relief pitcher’s period. The rules state expressly that any men a pitcher allows on base remain his sole – I repeat sole - responsibility.

As other responders have pointed out, even if you believe that it is unfair for a starting pitcher to be charged with a run that occurs by the actions of a relief pitcher, the only alternative is to charge the relief pitcher with those runs. And would not charging a relief pitcher with runs that were the result of runners that he did not allow on base be even more unfair?

The bottom line is, each player is credited (or charged) with the actions that he takes, and those actions are determined on their own merits. If the starting pitcher puts men on base who subsequently score during the relief pitcher’s period, the scorekeeper will simply say, “You, the starting pitcher, had control of the ball. If you allowed runners on base, that’s your fault - so it’s your responsibility.”

The scorekeeper will charge a pitcher with an earned run for each and every runner that that pitcher allows on base (or, to put it another way, each and every runner that he (or his teammates) fails to put out). This scoring rule may offend your sense of fairness – but there is simply no other way to do it without violating the basic principal that each and every distinct action on the playing field has to be attributed to one and only one particular player.

Flash Kellam

The starter put the runner on.

However, how earned runs are charged is a reason that using ERA to assess the ability of a pitcher is pretty much useless.

well

1) the starter allowed the runner to get on base. therefore if he scores it is an earned run on him bc if not for him he wouldn't have been there in the first place.

2) i agree, unfair to the reliever

3) half run??? do you even play?? ain't no HALF RUN in baseball you either score or you don't.

"Perhaps the starter would have or could have struck out the following batters and gotten out of the inning." And perhaps he could not have. That's just the way the scoring is computed.

He put them on base thus he should be charged for the run(s)

A little unfair, but it would be more unfair to charge it to the reliever.