earned run average

American

[urnd ruhn av-er-ij, av-rij] / ˈɜrnd ˈrʌn ˌæv ər ɪdʒ, ˌæv rɪdʒ /

noun

Baseball.

a measure of the effectiveness of a pitcher, calculated by dividing the number of earned runs scored against the pitcher by the number of innings pitched and multiplying the result by nine: ERA

His earned run average is currently a worrisome 6.21, as he has pitched 42 innings and given up 29 earned runs.

Etymology

Origin of earned run average

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With the Giants last season he went 4-11 with a 3.85 earned run average with 137 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

That couldn’t have worked any better: Lugo and Wacha each finished among the top 10 in earned run average in the American League, and the duo combined to pitch 373 innings.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2024

Last year he went 8-7 with a 3.23 earned run average for Baltimore, including a rare shutout.

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2023

Corbin is only the fifth pitcher to lose 19 games in a season with an earned run average north of 6.00 since 1900.

From Washington Times • Oct. 4, 2022

I think I had an earned run average of about one and a half in 1916.

From The Forest Monster of Oz by Evans, Bob

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023