earned run average

[ urnd ruhn av-er-ij, av-rij ]

noun

, Baseball.

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of earned run average¹

First recorded in 1945–50