I wonder what the record is for worst team ERA for a month?

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, SteveA said:

In general, team earned runs come about as follows:

Pitcher A is in the game.

An error occurs allowing a runner to reach base.

Run(s) score after there are two outs -- they are obviously all unearned.

Pitcher B comes in.

He gives up runs of his own, maybe allows a HR.

They are earned to pitcher B, but not to the team.  All the runs that score after two outs are unearned to the team because the team would have been out of the inning if not for the error.

But pitcher B came into the game after the error.  He gave up the runs fair and square, regardless of whether there was an error earlier.  So the ones he gave up are earned to him, but not to the team.

Thanks for this.  It makes perfect sense, though I’d never heard of it before.   So I guess individual ERA will always be equal to or (usually) higher than team ERA.

[SteveA]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Thanks for this.  It makes perfect sense, though I’d never heard of it before.   So I guess individual ERA will always be equal to or (usually) higher than team ERA.

I should clarify one nitpicky thing... I said "Pitcher B came into the game after the error".  Actually the key is that he came into the game after there WOULD have been 3 outs.

So if the error happened with nobody out, and Pitcher B came in with one out [when there should have been 2 outs] and then the next out occurs, then his runs are unearned to himself as well as the team.  But if he comes on after what would have been the 3rd out, then his runs are earned to him and unearned to the team.

It's all kind of stupid, but no stupider than the fact that a pitcher can allow 7 home runs in a row and they are all unearned because one fielder dropped a ball with 2 outs.