Calculating ERA

7 innings -- ERA = ER / innings * 7

Thanks!

KCBaseball, that is not a stupid question at all. Most people will tell you to use 7 as the multiplier because that is the “normal” high school game. However, I have had two very knowledgeable baseball people tell me that high school baseball ERA should be calculated using 9 innings to establish proper ERA. I have researched this and have never found “official” instructions on calculating high school ERA. During my scorekeeping days I used the Turbostats program and I used 7 in the multiplier field simply because 7 was accepted and it also lowered the ERA of our pitchers. But in reality I don’t think high school ERA’s mean much other than scrapbooks and state and local awards.
Fungo

If games are played under NFHS (Fed) Rules:

Rule 9-7-2d:
Pitcher's earned run average-divide the total runs earned during his pitching by the total number of innings he pitched and multiply by seven.

I know (and agree) that stats don't matter. His college next year will want these stats for his bio page in the media guide. And frankly, we want to know, as well.
But these responses so far haven't helped. I have looked and looked for a definitive answer, but can find info supporting both 7 and 9 innings as they number. Pilsner seems to have cited a rule... I'll go look there.

Sorry,

I posted the wrong rule reference and edited it in my post. Should be 9-7-2d.

Pilsners answer is right for HS and multiply by 9 for college.
It gets trickier if partial innings are involved.

How do they calculate for 7 inning doouble headers? Kid goes 7 [CG] gives up 2ER, with a low pitch count, but his ERA is determined by 9? hardly seems fair, although I realize there isn't much to do. When you publicize your kid's stats do you list it as ERA7 or ERA9 to differentiate, or just not bother, since if it is good, it will be good regardless of the multiplier?

My thought is that you'd have to use the standard number of innings in the game as the variable; 7 for HS. Otherwise it contradicts the theory of ERA.

I left something out in my previous post:

What I MEANT to say was, how do they do it in COLLEGE, when they play 7 inning DHs, but play 9 during the week? I guess they should still apply '9'. the college standard, since if given the opportunity to throw 9, on the average, you would have given up whatever number your ERA is.

As we used to say at bowling, "On the average, you bowl your average"

quote:

Originally posted by windmill:
What I MEANT to say was....

Apparently there are some long term affects from the hit to the noggin?

Good question though. I would think it would be adjusted according to the official game length, 7 or 9 but don't know.

I am puzzled where the problem is. ERA is a measure of ER permitted by a pitcher over a standard game at the level you are at. HS 7 college/Pro 9.
It is just another way of assessinjg a pitching performance. It can be affected by many things suchas who you play against, how good your team is, how you feel, the weathyer and mamny many other factors.

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
I am puzzled where the problem is. ERA is a measure of ER permitted by a pitcher over a standard game at the level you are at. HS 7 college/Pro 9.

I think Windmill's point is that some college games are 7 innings, some 9 innings. (Right???)

Yes they usually play a 7 and a 9 in double headers but that dosen't change the calculation. A standard game is 9 and the ERA is a gage of how many ERs over a 9 in game based on pitchers past results.