Editing Innings pitched

{{Short description|Baseball statistic}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
[[File:Cy Young (1903).jpg|thumb|120px|Cy Young holds the major-league record for innings pitched with 7,356 during his career.]]
In [[baseball]], the statistic '''innings pitched''' ('''IP''') is the number of [[inning]]s a [[pitcher]] has completed, measured by the number of [[Batter (baseball)|batters]] and [[baserunner]]s that have been put out while the pitcher is on the [[Baseball field#Pitcher's mound|pitching mound]] in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two outs as two-thirds of an inning. Sometimes, the statistic is written 34.1, 72.2, or 91.0, for example, to represent {{frac|34|1|3}} innings, {{frac|72|2|3}} innings, and 91 innings exactly, respectively.

Runners [[Glossary of baseball (L)#left on base|left on base]] by a pitcher are not counted in determining innings pitched. It is possible for a pitcher to enter a game, give up several hits and possibly even several runs, and be removed before achieving any outs, thereby recording a total of zero innings pitched. Alternatively, it is possible for a pitcher to enter a situation where there are two runners on base and no outs. He could throw one pitch that results in a [[triple play]], and for that one pitch, he would be credited with a full-inning pitched.

==Decline==
In [[Major League Baseball]], the only active players in the top 100 all-time at the end of the {{by|2009}} season were [[Tom Glavine]] (ranked 30th with {{frac|4,413|1|3}} IP), [[Randy Johnson]] (ranked 38th with {{frac|4,135|1|3}}), [[Jamie Moyer]] (ranked 45th with {{frac|3,908|2|3}}) and [[John Smoltz]] (ranked 74th with 3473). By the end of the {{by|2018}} season, only two active players were in the top 100 all-time: [[CC Sabathia]] (ranked 73rd with 3470), and [[Bartolo Colón]] (ranked 74th with {{frac|3461|2|3}}). This is because over time, innings pitched have declined. Several factors are responsible for this decline{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}:
*From 1876 to 1892, pitchers threw from fifty feet and exerted less stress on their arms (also pitchers often threw underhand in this era). In this era, season totals of 600 innings pitched were not uncommon.
*In 1893, the mound (the pitching rubber, to be more precise) was moved back to the current distance of sixty feet, six inches. However, they still often threw 400 innings in a season. This was because the [[home run]] was far less common and pitchers often conserved arm strength throughout the game.
*From 1920 to the 1980s, the four-man [[Glossary of baseball (R)#rotation|pitching rotation]] was well established. Pitchers could no longer throw 400 innings in a season, as the [[home run]] meant a run could be scored at any time. The league leader in innings pitched often threw somewhat more than 300 innings. Occasionally, innings pitched would spike, as in the early 1970s, when [[Wilbur Wood]] pitched {{frac|376|2|3}} innings in {{by|1972}} and then {{frac|359|1|3}} innings in {{by|1973}}.
*From the 1980s to the present, the four-man rotation was replaced with the five-man rotation, with a weak fifth man who would often be skipped on off days. Also, managers starting using their [[bullpen]]s more and more, accelerating the decline in innings pitched. As of the start of the 2022 season no pitcher has thrown 250 innings since [[Justin Verlander]] in 2011.

==Records==
===All-time leaders===
[[File:Pud Galvin 1888.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Pud Galvin accrued over 6000 innings pitched during his major-league career.]]
{{Further|List of Major League Baseball career innings pitched leaders}}
{| class="wikitable" 
! Rank || Player || Innings pitched
|-
| 1 || [[Cy Young]] || 7,356
|-
| 2 || [[Pud Galvin]] || {{frac|6,003|1|3}}
|-
| 3 || [[Walter Johnson]] || {{frac|5,914|1|3}}
|-
| 4 || [[Phil Niekro]] || 5,404
|-
| 5 || [[Nolan Ryan]] || 5,386
|-
| 6 || [[Gaylord Perry]] || 5,350
|-
| 7 || [[Don Sutton]] || {{frac|5,282|1|3}}
|-
| 8 || [[Warren Spahn]]* || {{frac|5,243|2|3}}
|-
| 9 || [[Steve Carlton]]* || {{frac|5,217|2|3}}
|-
| 10 || [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]] || 5,190
|-
| 11 || [[Kid Nichols]] || {{frac|5,067|1|3}}
|-
| 12 || [[Tim Keefe]] || {{frac|5,049|2|3}}
|-
| 13 || [[Greg Maddux]] || {{frac|5,008|1|3}}
|-
| 14 || [[Bert Blyleven]] || 4,970
|-
| 15 || [[Bobby Mathews]] || 4,956
|-
| 16 || [[Roger Clemens]] || {{frac|4,916|2|3}}
|-
| 17 || [[Mickey Welch]] || 4,802
|-
| 18 || [[Christy Mathewson]] || {{frac|4,788|2|3}}
|-
| 19 || [[Tom Seaver]] || 4,783
|-
| 20 || [[Tommy John]]* || {{frac|4,710|1|3}}
|-
| colspan="3" | * Pitched left-handed<br />Active players in '''bold'''<br />''Through 2016 season''
|}

===Single-season leaders===
[[File:Ed Walsh pitching.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Ed Walsh holds the major-league record for innings pitched in a single season.]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Rank || Player || Year || Team || Innings pitched
|-
| 1 || [[Ed Walsh]] || [[1908 Major League Baseball season|1908]] || [[Chicago White Sox]] || 464
|-
| 2 || [[Jack Chesbro]] || [[1904 Major League Baseball season|1904]] || [[New York Yankees|New York Highlanders]] || {{frac|454|2|3}}
|-
| 3 || [[Joe McGinnity]] || [[1903 Major League Baseball season|1903]] || [[History of the New York Giants (baseball)|New York Giants]] || 434
|-
| 4 || Ed Walsh || [[1907 Major League Baseball season|1907]] || Chicago White Sox || {{frac|422|1|3}}
|-
| 5 || [[Vic Willis]] || [[1902 Major League Baseball season|1902]] || [[Boston Beaneaters]] || 410
|-
| 6 || Joe McGinnity || [[1904 Major League Baseball season|1904]] || New York Giants || 408
|-
| 7 || Ed Walsh || [[1912 Major League Baseball season|1912]] || Chicago White Sox || 393
|-
| 8 || [[Dave Davenport]] || [[1915 Major League Baseball season|1915]] || [[St. Louis Terriers]] || {{frac|392|2|3}}
|-
| 9 || [[Christy Mathewson]] || [[1908 Major League Baseball season|1908]] || New York Giants || {{frac|390|2|3}}
|-
| 10 || [[Jack Powell (pitcher, born 1874)|Jack Powell]] || [[1904 Major League Baseball season|1904]] || New York Highlanders || {{frac|390|1|3}}
|-
|}
Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/BndTc|title=Pitching Season Finder (Single seasons, IP>=390)|work=Baseball Reference|access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/IP_career.shtml Career Leaders & Records for Innings Pitched] at [[Baseball-Reference.com]]

{{Baseball statistics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Innings Pitched}}
[[Category:Pitching statistics]]