Talk:Innings pitched

Link to verify list
Hopefully this link at mlb.com can be used to verify this list. No Guru 04:30, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

I never saw any publication use 7.3 for 7 1/3 or 7.7 for 7 2/3. I have only seen 7.1 and 7.2. Please provide a citation for 7.3 / 7.7 or I will remove that sentence. Tzadik 05:31, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

A conundrum
The article claims that in 2009, John Smoltz was 74th on the all-time list with 3473 innings pitched. He is now 72nd on the all-time list with the same 3473 innings pitched. Did two players higher on the list have their records vacated? Or how could this be true? Jbening (talk) 12:38, 3 October 2018 (UTC)


 * Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson are also one step higher with no change in innings pitched. Jbening (talk) 12:41, 3 October 2018 (UTC)

All time leaders
Since we have List of Major League Baseball career innings pitched leaders, I don't think we need to maintain the top 20 of that list here. I propose to replace the Top 20 with a short prose-based summary of some of the main leaders, while also providing a link to that list. --Jameboy (talk) 20:51, 1 September 2020 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a good idea.--BillFlis (talk) 10:58, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

I further suggest that "all-time" be amended to "career."--BillFlis (talk) 10:58, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

Single-season records
The list here seems to be limited to some unstated era of play (e.g., some "modern era"). For example, baseball.com lists Will White as first all-time with 680.0 IP, achieved in 1879. But this was before the mound was moved back to its current distance before the 1893 season (see his wikiarticle, where this stat is mentioned). If we limit the list to starting with that season (which would be one possibility for limiting the list), the highest-ranked would be Amos Rusie with 482.0, achieved in 1893. The leader listed here, Ed Walsh, comes in as 108th. Unfortunately, the reference cited in the article is behind a paywall, and I wasn't able to check it or its intended era.--BillFlis (talk) 10:58, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

600 IP in 1876?
The text currently says "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."

How is this mathematically possible? In 1876, the NL season was only 70 games. In 87 and 88 it was only 60 games. It gradually increased to 140 games by 1892. But even then, a lot of games were called for rain or darkness, and they were not rescheduled. Darkness in particular was a big issue, since games started in the mid-afternoon, so it's not possible that many games went to a huge number of extra innings.

At 60 games, there is no plausible way any of the 7 starting pitchers could have pitched 600 innings. Even at 70 games, it is highly implausible, since the average game lasted fewer than 9 innings back then, not every scheduled game was actually played, the same starter didn't always start every game, and relief pitchers did exist. Frankly, even at 84 or 98 games, it isn't plausible. By the time the season reached 140 games, it is. Also, AA pitchers from 1885–92 could have pitched that many innings. This article should narrow the range of dates to those within which at least one NL or AA pitcher did in fact pitch 600 innings in a season. Eebster the Great (talk) 02:46, 28 May 2023 (UTC)
 * This SBNation chart appears to imply that nobody in history has ever pitched 600 innings in a major league season: https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2019/2/3/17080354/weekend-chart-innings-pitched-per-season-by-starters-over-mlb-history. Eebster the Great (talk) 03:04, 28 May 2023 (UTC)