Starting pitcher went six innings with the score 3-0. First Relief pitcher pitcher gave up 3 runs so score was 3-3. Then 2nd reliever held 2.2 innings to a final score of 6-3. So who gets the win? Starting pitcher or the 2nd reliever?
1 Answer
The Official Scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher that pitcher whose team assumes a lead while such pitcher is in the game, or during the inning on offense in which such pitcher is removed from the game, and does not relinquish such lead
The lead established by the starting pitcher was relinquished so they cannot be the winning pitcher. To determine the winning pitcher, we need to know exactly when the winning team re-took the lead:
- If the winning team re-took the lead while the first reliever was the pitcher of record (i.e. before the second reliever had entered the game), the first reliever is the winning pitcher.
- If the winning team re-took the lead after the second reliever entered the game, the second reliever is the winning pitcher.
answered Apr 26, 2022 at 7:23
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1To add a little more detail, the second pitcher does not become the "pitcher of record" until they have entered the game to pitch - so even if the first pitcher was lifted for a pinch hitter, if that pinch hitter bats in the run that takes the lead, the first pitcher still gets the win. (Fairly sure that even in the extremely unlikely scenario the second pitcher pinch hits for the first pitcher, the first pitcher is still pitcher-of-record.)– JoeCommented Apr 26, 2022 at 15:17