Baseball Reference Glossary

Game Score

What is Baseball Game Score?

Game score, a metric created by Bill James, measures a starting pitcher’s effectiveness in a single game. It uses a system of pluses and minuses to create a score. That score can easily be compared to standard benchmarks to determine how well the pitcher performed.

How is Game Score used?

Game score is analyzed on a fairly intuitive scale. A score of 50 reflects an average outing. Conversely, scores of 0 or below (very bad) or 100 or greater (very good) rarely happen.

The average score for a starting pitcher at home is slightly higher than for the road starter, reflecting baseball’s home field advantage. In practice, the difference comes from a better strikeout rate for home starters. Some believe that unconscious bias by home plate umpires causes that difference, giving a few extra strikes per games to the home side.

Game score often correlates closely with pitching wins. However, this correlation breaks down at the very top end of the scale (scores of 90 or more). Many of these very high scores happen in games that go to extra innings, making it much harder for the starting pitcher to pick up the win.

How to calculate Game Score?

Start with 50 points.

Add:

  • 1 point for each out (or 3 points per inning)
  • 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th
  • 1 point for each strikeout

Subtract:

  • 2 points for each hit allowed
  • 4 points for each earned run allowed
  • 2 points for each unearned run allowed
  • 1 point for each walk.

The total is the pitcher’s score for that game.

Game Score Calculator

Game Score Examples

Let’s use Kerry Wood‘s May 6, 1998 one-hitter as an example of how to calculate game score. (Hint: it’s the best score in a nine-inning game.)

  1. Start with 50 points.
  2. Add 1 point for each out. Since Woods pitched all 9 innings, we can add 3 points per inning. 3*9 = 27. 50+27 = 77.
  3. Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Woods pitched all 9 innings, so he pitched 5 innings after the 4th. 5*2 = 10. 77+10 = 87.
  4. Add 1 point for each strikeout. Woods had 20 strikeouts. 87+20 = 107.
  5. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Woods only allowed 1 hit. 107-2 = 105.
  6. Woods did not allow any runs, earned or unearned, so no points will be subtracted for allowing runs.
  7. Woods did not walk any batters, so no points will be subtracted for walks, either.

Woods’ score (the best in a nine-inning game) was 105.

Interesting Game Score Stats

Dean Chance recorded the best game score since 1957, with a 116 score in 1964. He threw 14 shutout innings, giving up just 3 hits and striking out 12.

On the other hand, Mike Oquist recorded a -21 score in 1998 for the worst score since 1957. Oquist gave up 14 earned runs in 5 innings. The worst score between 1901 and 2021 was -56 by George LeClair of the Pittsburgh Rebels on August 16, 1914.

From 1957 to 2007, only 40 games recorded a 100+ score. Four of those games belonged to Nolan Ryan.

Filed under Statistics