Explainers
Innings Pitched Notation: Why .1 and .2 Mean Outs
Learn how baseball innings pitched notation works, why .1 and .2 represent outs, and how Ballrecord displays pitcher workloads.
Baseball counts outs, not decimal thirds
In baseball scorekeeping, .1 means one out recorded in an incomplete inning and .2 means two outs. Three outs make a full inning, so 6.2 IP means six innings plus two outs, not six and two-tenths in ordinary decimal math.
Ballrecord follows this outs-based convention across pitching tables so historical and modern seasons remain readable in the same scorebook language.
Why the distinction matters for ERA
ERA divides earned runs by innings pitched. Misreading .1 or .2 as decimal tenths will distort workload and rate stats. When comparing pitchers, convert to total outs if you need precise arithmetic: multiply whole innings by three and add the leftover outs.
Frequently asked questions
- How many outs is 5.1 innings?
- Sixteen outs: five full innings (15 outs) plus one additional out.
- Do all sites display innings the same way?
- Most baseball references use outs-based notation. Always confirm before converting to decimals for custom math.
Continue in the record
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