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ERA Calculator

Calculate ERA and WHIP from a stat line.

Enter earned runs and innings pitched to get earned run average, plus WHIP from hits and walks. Innings are counted in thirds the way a scorebook does, and the result is rated against benchmarks for your level rather than one generic scale.

ERA + WHIP Thirds of an inning 9, 7 or 6-inning games

The .1 and .2 trap

In a scorebook "5.2" means five and two-thirds innings, not 5.2. Typing it straight into a calculator makes an ERA look better than it is — so partial innings are picked as outs here, never typed as a decimal.

Enter the line

Game length

ERA is scaled to a full game, so this changes the number.

Runs that scored without an error or passed ball.

Whole innings completed.

The ".1" or ".2" from the scorebook.

For WHIP only.

For WHIP only.

Sets what counts as a good ERA.

Earned run average
2.70

12 earned runs over 40.0 innings is a 2.70 ERA on a 9-inning game, which rates as "good" for high school.

1.30WHIP
40.0Innings pitched
GoodRating

What the numbers say

A dependable varsity starter.

At or under 1.30, which is solid for high school.

Innings pitched counted as 40, not 40.0.

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What is a good ERA?

ERAWhat it means
Under 2.00Elite at almost any level
2.00 – 3.00Excellent through college and pro
3.00 – 4.00Good; around MLB league average
4.00 – 5.00Average to below average above high school
Over 5.00Developing, or a rough stretch of innings

Velocity is a different question — see the pitching velocity by age calculator.

How do you calculate ERA?

ERA is earned runs divided by innings pitched, multiplied by the length of a game. For a 9-inning game: ERA = (earned runs / innings pitched) x 9. A pitcher with 12 earned runs over 40 innings has an ERA of (12 / 40) x 9 = 2.70.

What does 5.2 innings pitched mean?

Innings pitched are counted in thirds, not decimals. "5.2" means five and two-thirds innings — five full innings plus two outs — which is 5.667 for the maths, not 5.2. Using 5.2 directly is the single most common ERA mistake, and it makes the ERA look better than it is.

What is a good ERA?

It depends entirely on the level. In MLB, under 3.50 is excellent and around 4.00 is league average. In high school, under 2.50 is excellent. In youth baseball, under 3.50 is excellent and anything under 5.00 is solid, because walks and errors inflate run totals at that age.

What is WHIP and what is a good one?

WHIP is walks plus hits per inning pitched: (hits + walks) / innings pitched. It measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows regardless of whether they score. Under 1.00 is elite, around 1.30 is solid at high school through pro level, and it does not change with game length the way ERA does.

Does ERA use 7 innings for softball?

Yes. ERA is scaled to the length of a regulation game, so softball uses 7 and most youth baseball uses 6. The same earned runs over the same innings produce a lower ERA on a shorter game length, which is why comparing a softball ERA to a baseball ERA directly is misleading.

What counts as an earned run?

A run is earned unless it scored because of a fielding error or a passed ball. If the defense should have ended the inning and did not, the runs that follow are unearned and do not count against ERA. That is why ERA and total runs allowed often differ, especially in youth baseball.

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