Baseball Pitching Questions

1) How many innings does a pitcher have to finish before the game can be considered a win for him? (assuming they win)


2)If a relief pitcher is credited with a save, is the pitcher who was taken out credited with a win or what?


3)(Non-pitching) How many times can a pinch hitter step in for a particular player; once in an inning, twice, more than one inning?

I will take a shot, but I am not Mr. Baseball Statistics or anything. If I screw up I hope someone will correct me.


1) The starting pitcher has to go 5, unless the game only goes 5, in which case he must go 4 I think. He must leave the game with the lead. Relief pitchers don't need to go a certain number of innings. Their team has to take the lead while they're the pitcher of record. If a starter doesn't go 5, but has a lead, the official scorer picks the relief pitcher who was most effective.


2) Not necessarily. The pitcher relieved may be the winning pitcher or not. If the starter goes 7, leaves with a lead, a set-up pitcher goes in the 8th, and the closer comes in the 9th, the starter gets the win, the closer the save. Set-up guy or middle reliever only gets his major-league check. :-) The rule on what constitutes a save - I forget the details. There are a lot of details.


3) In baseball, once a player leaves, that's it. He can't come back in that game. This adds a lot to the strategy, particularly in the National League.


If you go to a game, buy a scorecard and have some crusty old guy show you how to keep score. You will learn a lot. If you survive your first double switch and can still read the scorecard and understand what happened you will be on your way. It makes a nice souvenir if something extraordinary happens too. If you see a no-hitter or something you will have something much cooler than a bobble-head doll.