If Your ERA as a Pitcher Is 'Infinity,' That's Not Good

But Trevor Rosenthal finally recorded an out, so he's back in the stratosphere
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 11, 2019 11:05 AM CDT
Know What a Bad ERA Is for a Pitcher? 'Infinity'
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal walks toward the dugout after he was pulled during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets on March 31, 2019, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

When Washington Nationals reliever Trevor Rosenthal wrapped up his team's 15-1 victory Wednesday night, he had an earned run average of 72. Not good. (League leaders are under 3.) But that 72 is way better than Rosenthal's ERA entering the game: infinity. Deadspin explains: In his first four appearances this season, Rosenthal faced nine batters and didn't record a single out. On Wednesday, Rosenthal entered the game in the ninth inning with his team up 15-0 and promptly walked his first batter. Then, at last, he got his first out of the season with this impressive 100mph fastball. He walked the next two batters, then got a groundout and a pop-out to end the game.

In Rosenthal's defense, he's coming back from a serious elbow injury suffered in 2017 that kept him out of the entire 2018 season, notes the Washington Post. "It'll all work out in the end," he said after the game. "It's just about learning from it as you go through it and then eventually, on the backside, I could help anyone else out if they were going through something similar." Meanwhile, another player continues to struggle with a bad streak of his own. The Orioles' Chris Davis recently set an MLB record for consecutive hitless at-bats, and Davis increased the record to 50 in Wednesday's game, reports the Baltimore Sun. (More baseball stories.)

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