baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

has completed, measured by the number of batters and

baserunner In baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat. Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base (home plate) to score a run. Batters strive t ...

s that are put out while the pitcher is on the

pitching mound A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two outs counts as two-thirds of an inning. Sometimes, the statistic is written 34.1, 72.2, or 91.0, for example, to represent innings, innings, and 91 innings exactly, respectively. Runners

left on base L lace :To reach base by hitting a ball between infielders. "McCann laced it through the shift on the right side of the infield." Lady Godiva :A pitch delivered with nothing on it. A nod to the legend of Lady Godiva riding naked on horseback. ...

by a pitcher are not counted in determining innings pitched. It is possible for a pitcher to enter a game, give up several hits and possibly even several runs, and be removed before achieving any outs, thereby recording a total of zero innings pitched. Alternatively, it is possible for a pitcher to enter a situation where there are two runners on base and no outs. He could throw one pitch that results in a triple play, and for that one pitch he would be credited with a full inning pitched.

Decline

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

, the only active players in the top 100 all-time at the end of the season were Tom Glavine (ranked 30th with IP), Randy Johnson (ranked 38th with ),

Jamie Moyer Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Bost ...

(ranked 45th with ) and John Smoltz (ranked 74th with 3473). By the end of the season, only two active players were in the top 100 all-time:

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milw ...

(ranked 73rd with 3470), and Bartolo Colón (ranked 74th with ). This is because over time, innings pitched has declined. Several factors are responsible for this decline: * From 1876 to 1892, pitchers threw from fifty feet and exerted less stress on their arms (also pitchers often threw underhand in this era). In this era, season totals of 600 innings pitched were not uncommon. * In 1892, pitchers moved back to the current distance of sixty feet, six inches. However, they still often threw 400 innings in a season. This was because the

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

was far less common and pitchers often conserved arm strength throughout the game. * From 1920 to the 1980s, the four-man pitching rotation was well established. Pitchers could no longer throw 400 innings in a season, as the

meant a run could be scored at any time. The league leader in innings pitched often threw somewhat more than 300 innings. Occasionally, innings pitched would spike, as in the early 1970s, when Wilbur Wood pitched innings in and then innings in . * From the 1980s to the present, the four-man rotation was replaced with the five-man rotation, with a weak fifth man who would often be skipped on off days. Also, managers starting using their

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

s more and more, accelerating the decline in innings pitched. As of the start of the 2022 season no pitcher has thrown 250 innings since Justin Verlander in 2011.

Records

All-time leaders

Single-season leaders

Source:

References

External links

Career Leaders & Records for Innings Pitched
at Baseball-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Innings Pitched Pitching statistics