Game scores were introduced by Bill James in the 1988 Baseball Abstract as a more finely calibrated variation on the concept of the quality start. The game score for a starting pitcher is calculated as follows:
50 points for finding his way to the rubber;
+1 for each out;
+2 for each inning completed after the fourth;
+1 for each strikeout;
-1 for each walk;
-2 for each hit;
-4 for each earned run;
-2 for each unearned run.
In a typical season, the best score will be about 100, the worst about 0, and the average near 50.
This page is intended to give a quick overview of each pitcher's career in terms of Game Scores.
For each season of a pitcher's career, the top 10 scores (50 or higher) are shown, as are the bottom 10 (49 or lower).
For any score 80 or higher, 25 or lower, as well as the pitcher's top and bottom score of the season if they did not meet those threshholds, hyperlinks are provided to Retrosheet's box score of the game.
Games are included from 1960-2004.
Pitchers are included if they started 300 or more games during those seasons
(100 or more for pitchers who were active in 2004)
or have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.