The main objective that every pitcher in baseball is to prevent runs and get outs. Limiting the amount of runs the opposing team scores and getting outs consistently will result in a greater chance of your team winning.
Tempo or the tone of the game starts with the pitcher. What that means is the game tempo and momentum builds off the starting pitcher. Managers want their starting pitcher to get a quality start because it means the pitcher has pitched deep into a game and has limited the amount of runs the other team scored. What is a Quality Start in baseball? A Quality Start in Baseball is when a pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows three earned runs or less.
In a 9 inning baseball game, a “Quality Start” (see MLB glossary) is pitching the first two thirds of a game (or more) and allowing the opposing team to only score 3 runs or less. a 9 inning game with 6 innings pitcher is two thirds of the game. A starting pitcher must complete the first 6 innings or more and not allow more than 3 runs to be awarded a Quality Start. This equates to a maximum of a 4.50 ERA for one game. 6 innings with 3 earned runs allowed equals a 4.50 earned run average for that game.
“Quality Start” is a true and used statistic in baseball. It helps measure how often a starting pitching gives their team a chance to win. The more often a pitcher has a quality start, the more often that same team and pitcher get a win.
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Why is it called a “Quality” Start?
A starting pitcher can have an excellent start or a bad start, but neither is a true baseball statistic. A quality start is a true statistic and specifically, it’s completing 6 innings and allowing 3 earned runs or less. It’s become a more popular and specific pitching statistic. Whereas the wins and losses stat for a pitcher has become less relevant.
The reason it’s called a “Quality Start” is for the same reason as the definition as of Quality – the standard of something measured against something of a similar kind. A degree of excellence.
“Quality” is just the formal way of saying it was a good start. Not necessarily a great start but also not a bad start. It’s the baseline measurement of good, as in good enough to give your team a chance to win.
If a pitcher can get to that standard (6 IP, 3ER or less) and that degree of excellence, the odds of winning increases.
Being a successful starting pitcher means pitching deep into games. 6 innings minimum. And limiting runs. 3 runs or less.
Why is a Quality Start relevant?
One reason quality start is more widely used today than ever before is due to how pitchers have been credited with wins or losses. Often times pitchers are credited with a win after a bad start or a loss after a good start. Starting pitchers must complete 5 innings to qualify for a win, but 6 innings and 3 runs or less for a quality start. It seems more difficult to earn a quality start than a win doesn’t it?
Example pitching lines:
In the example let’s assume both pitchers exited the game with the same score as the final score. Which pitcher had the better pitching line?
Pitcher A would receive the win but would not receive a quality start. Pitcher B would receive a loss but would also receive a quality start.
We can see that pitcher B clearly had the better start and gave his team a better chance to win. However, his team lost the game and he gave up more runs than his team scored during the time he was pitching.
The quality start statistic is great to help determine how often a starting pitcher is keeping their team in the game. How often the pitcher is giving their team a chance to win.
Sometimes pitchers get lucky and receive a lot of run support but other times pitchers are unlucky and receive little run support.. This is all part of baseball, and having a stat measure a more specific part of a pitchers start helps understand how well that starting pitcher is truly doing for their team.
Can you lose a Quality Start?
As exampled, pitchers can have excellent starts but their team does not provide enough run support to win. So a pitcher can lose even when pitching a quality start.
The example with Pitcher B above pitching 7 innings and allowing just 2 earned runs yet lost 2-1 is a perfect example. That’s a great start, one that any manager and pitcher would be happy with. Yet the end result is a loss.
Baseball is a team game, and the pitcher cannot win the entire game alone. Runs have to be scored no matter what. Even if a pitcher allows zero runs, it doesn’t guarantee a win. His team still needs to provide run support.
This is a big reason why the wins and losses stat has become less relevant while quality starts is more important.
By the same example, Pitcher A didn’t pitch well enough to receive a quality start yet his team scored more runs than he allowed. That start would result in a win.
This doesn’t seem fair because we clearly see one pitched better than the other. Yet the better start resulted in a loss. This is why the Quality Start stat was implemented and widely used.
We like to call a loss with a quality start a “tough loss” and a win without a quality start a “cheap win”.
Can you get a win and a quality start?
Yes, you absolutely can get both a win and a quality start. This should be the goal of every starting pitcher. All starting pitchers should strive for pitching deep into a game with allowing minimal or no runs. It gives them and their team the best chance to win!
If you consistently earn a quality start as a pitcher, you are putting your team in a better position to win. It’s that simple. The game is closer to being over as you pitch deeper into the game and you’re allowing little or no amount of runs to score.
Your manager, coaches, and teammates will love you for this. Consistency in baseball is a form of success. With long games and long seasons, having consistent pitching matters immensely.
Like the Pitcher A and Pitcher B example; pitchers can get a win without a quality start and a loss with a quality start. A tough loss or a cheap win. Both are less likely to happen though if a pitcher earns a quality start.
Quality starts increases odds of winning. And a starting pitcher can earn both a quality start and a win. In fact, most wins for starting pitchers in baseball come from also earning a quality start.
What is a bad ERA in baseball?
Throughout baseball history and having decades of stats to review, baseball has come to an unofficial agreement that an average ERA is somewhere around 4.50. And as calculated in a Quality Start, 6 innings with 3 earned runs or less equals a 4.50 ERA for that game.
Majority of major league pitchers have an ERA somewhere in the range of 4.00 to 5.00. Meaning over 9 innings, the average pitcher gives up between 4 and 5 runs. ERA’s under 4.00 are considered good. ERA’s in the low 3’s are great, and anything under 3.0 is outstanding.
Pitchers with an ERA over 5 will likely be used less. If their ERA gets close or above 6, it’s likely they will be demoted. Starting pitchers should never have ERA’s near 6 and are likely to be moved to the bullpen or long relief. Having a bad ERA or high ERA above 5 greatly decreases your teams chances of winning.
A pitcher who consistently allows 5 or 6 runs a game is asking a lot from their offense to keep up with to win. It’s not sustainable. Take a look around baseball and you’ll rarely see starting pitchers with ERA’s in the high 5’s or above 6. Having a starting pitcher start a game with a high ERA decreases a teams chances of winning.
The odds of winning a baseball game greatly increase if pitchers can keep their earned run average around 4.50 or less.
Why Quality Starts matter?
Using the simple example provided, it’s easy to see why quality starts matter. The less runs a pitcher allows and for longer in a game, the more likely it is that team wins. It matters for so many reasons than just that one game too.
If a starting pitcher consistently earns quality starts, it means they are consistently putting their team in a position to win. A Quality Start also impacts more than just that single game. It saves the bullpen. That means less pitchers are being used in games where the starting pitcher earns a quality start.
Saving the bullpen means fresher arms for the next game. If the starting pitcher is taking up the bulk of the innings, relief pitchers are then being used less, meaning their arms are more ready and fresh for the next game. On top of that, it means the quantity of options at pitchers for the next game also increases.
The lack of quality starts by a starting pitching staff will have a negative spiral impact on the rest of the pitching staff. More pitchers will be used more often, resulting in tired arms and increased chances of injury. This could also lead to more losses by the team.
An increase or consistent quality starts by a starting pitching staff will have great positive effects on the rest of the pitching staff. Less tired arms, less injuries, and more wins!
What is a Quality Start in Baseball conclusion
A Quality Start in Baseball is when a starting pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows three earned runs or less. This is the standard measurement for quality of a pitchers start. It is the degree of excellence to which a starting pitcher should strive for.
An ERA of 4.50 or less for that single game is a Quality Start as long as the pitcher completed 6 innings. As I stated previously, an ERA of 4.50 is average throughout baseball. Pitchers who can keep their ERA’s under 4.50 or under 4.00 have a greater chance of winning or their team winning. Starting pitchers with ERA’s in this range or below have increased odds of quality starts and thus, wins. Wins for both their team and themselves.
As baseball has become increasingly more focused on “opener games” or “bullpen games”, the quantity of starting pitchers earning quality starts has decreased.
For all the reasons we reviewed above, quality starts have exceptional positive impacts on a team and pitching staff. All starting pitchers should have a goal when stepping on the mound to earn a quality start at minimum.
Starting pitchers who consistently earn quality starts will pitch more often and earn more trust by mangers and teammates. Quality starts increase odds of winning and are one of the best measurements in baseball to determines a starting pitchers true quality.