Runs allowed

A few weeks ago, I was browsing on an online sports card shop and I found an interesting product. It was a lucky bag, in which you can get a memorabilia card and an encased autograph card. This product truly drew my attention and I decided to buy some packs.

After opening some packs, I found a Charles Nagy autograph card. For me, this card is pretty cool. Late-90’s Indians were a great team and I surely remember that I watched some games where Charles Nagy was on the mound. Nonetheless, when I checked some stats on the back of the card, it showed that Charles Nagy gave up 139 runs in 1998, which was the most in the league. Well, the 1998 season was surely not a great one for Charles Nagy, he posted a 5.22 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP over 210.1 innings. However, there were actually other pitchers who gave up more runs than Nagy did.

Runs allowed (1998)
Player	R
Pedro Astacio	160
Jamey Wright	143
Darryl Kile	141
Charles Nagy	139
Mike Sirotka	137

In 1998, there were three pitchers who each gave up more than 140 runs. They each tossed 200+ innings and, interestingly, they all pitched for the Rockies. Firstly, Pedro Astacio tossed 209.1 innings in 1998, posting a 6.23 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Additionally, Jamey Wright owned a 5.67 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP over 206.1 innings. At the same time, Darryl Kile threw 230.1 innings with an ERA of 5.20 and a 1.53 WHIP. 3 pitchers each allowed more than 140 runs in a single season. And, I was just wondering whether there were a lot of pitchers who gave up at least 100 runs in the 1998 season. I went to check on the MLB website and there were 59 pitchers who allowed at least 100 runs in the 1998 season. So, what does that number mean?  

Runs allowed (2022)
Player	R
Patrick Corbin	119
German Marquez	109
Jose Berrios	103
Kyle Gibson	98

In the 2022 season, only 3 pitchers each gave up 100+ runs. Patrick Corbin made 31 starts for the Nationals, but he allowed 119 runs in 152.2 innings. Corbin posted a 6.31 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP this year. Moreover, opponents batted .321 against Corbin. Furthermore, German Marquez also made 31 starts this year. He gave up 109 runs in 181.2 innings. Marquez had a 4.95 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. In the meantime, Jose Berrios earned 12 wins and took 7 losses in 2022. However, he gave up 103 runs in 172 innings. His ERA was 5.23 and he had a 1.42 WHIP.

From 1998 to 2022, so many things have changed. Back in 1998, it was common to see a pitcher toss more than 200 innings in a single season. Also, it’s not a huge surprise to see a pitcher who gave up more than 100 runs in a single season. In 2022, there were only 8 pitchers who threw at least 200 innings. Furthermore, it’s not common to see a pitcher who allowed more than 100+ runs in a single season. It's true that there are a lot of changes in baseball and a key change is pitcher usage. But, there’s something similar. The Cleveland Indians lost to the New York Yankees in the 1998 ALCS. In 2022, the Cleveland Guardians lost to the Yankees in the ALDS.