ERA Calculator
Work out earned run average from earned runs and innings in baseball notation (6.2 = 6⅔), plus WHIP, with 7-inning softball and high school games supported.
ERA Calculator: with the default inputs, era is 2.69.
Baseball notation: 6.1 = 6⅓ innings, 6.2 = 6⅔. The decimal is outs, so it is only ever .0, .1 or .2.
Base on balls. Hit batters are not part of WHIP.
Earned runs per regulation game.
- WHIP
Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
- 1.23
- Innings pitched
- 150⅔ (452 outs)
- Outs recorded
- 452
- Hits per game
- 8.4
- Walks per game
- 2.7
- On the MLB scale
FanGraphs' rule of thumb for starters; meaningful for 9-inning games only.
- Excellent ERA, above average WHIP
Assumptions
- Innings are entered in box-score notation, where the digit after the point is outs (0, 1 or 2).
- ERA is scaled to the regulation game length you set; WHIP is per inning and does not depend on it.
- The rating uses FanGraphs' rule-of-thumb scale for MLB starting pitchers and is shown for 9-inning games only.
| Rating | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 2.5 | 1 |
| Great | 3 | 1.1 |
| Above average | 3.4 | 1.2 |
| Average | 3.75 | 1.3 |
| Below average | 4 | 1.4 |
| Poor | 4.3 | 1.5 |
| Awful | 4.6 | 1.6 |
FanGraphs' rule of thumb. League averages move year to year, relievers typically run about 0.50 lower in ERA, and softball and youth levels sit on different scales.
| Next outing | New ERA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 6 IP, 0 ER | 2.59 | -0.1 |
| 6 IP, 1 ER | 2.64 | -0.05 |
| 6 IP, 2 ER | 2.7 | 0.01 |
| 6 IP, 3 ER | 2.76 | 0.07 |
| 6 IP, 4 ER | 2.81 | 0.13 |
| 6 IP, 5 ER | 2.87 | 0.18 |
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How this is worked out
The formula
ERA = innings per game × earned runs ÷ innings pitched (9 in MLB, 7 in softball and most high school) WHIP = (walks + hits) ÷ innings pitched innings pitched: 6.1 = 6⅓ = 19 outs ÷ 3, 6.2 = 6⅔ = 20 outs ÷ 3
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Earned runs allowed
- A number.0 or more · whole numbers only · defaults to 45
- Innings pitched
- Baseball notation: 6.1 = 6⅓ innings, 6.2 = 6⅔. The decimal is outs, so it is only ever .0, .1 or .2.0 or more · defaults to 150.2
- Hits allowed
- A number.0 or more · whole numbers only · defaults to 140
- Walks allowed
- Base on balls. Hit batters are not part of WHIP.0 or more · whole numbers only · defaults to 45
- Innings in a regulation game(under More options)
- 9 for MLB and college baseball; 7 for softball and most high school baseball; 6 for Little League.from 1 to 12 · whole numbers only · defaults to 9
What you get back
- ERAmain answer
- Earned runs per regulation game.
- WHIP
- Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
- Innings pitched
- Outs recorded
- Hits per game
- Walks per game
- On the MLB scale
- FanGraphs' rule of thumb for starters; meaningful for 9-inning games only.
What this assumes
- Innings are entered in box-score notation, where the digit after the point is outs (0, 1 or 2).
- ERA is scaled to the regulation game length you set; WHIP is per inning and does not depend on it.
- The rating uses FanGraphs' rule-of-thumb scale for MLB starting pitchers and is shown for 9-inning games only.
About this calculator
Earned run average is the number of earned runs a pitcher allows per nine innings: ERA = 9 × earned runs ÷ innings pitched. It is the oldest headline pitching stat, and the one thing that trips people up when they calculate it by hand is the innings. This ERA calculator reads innings the way box scores write them, and works out WHIP alongside.
Innings notation: why 6.2 is not 6.2
Innings are counted in outs, and there are three outs in an inning. So a box score's 6.1 means 6 innings and 1 out — 6⅓ innings — and 6.2 means 6⅔. There is no 6.3, because the third out completes the seventh inning. The calculator converts the notation to outs (6.2 → 20 outs) and divides by three, which is the only correct way to do it. Typing 6.2 into the formula as a plain decimal understates the innings and overstates ERA; anything after the point other than .0, .1 or .2 is rejected with an explanation.
How to use it
Enter earned runs and innings pitched; ERA appears immediately. Add hits and walks for WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), the other number scouts check first. Under More options, set the length of a regulation game: 7 for softball and most high school baseball, 6 for Little League. ERA scales to that game length — a softball ERA is 7 × ER ÷ IP — while WHIP is per inning and does not change.
Earned versus unearned runs
Only earned runs count. A run is unearned when it would not have scored without a fielding error or a passed ball, which the official scorer decides by reconstructing the inning without the mistake. If you are working from a scorebook, use the ER column, not R.
Reading the result
For MLB starters, FanGraphs' rule of thumb puts an average ERA around 3.75 and an excellent one at 2.50 or lower, with WHIP around 1.30 average and 1.00 excellent. Relievers run lower because they face fewer hitters and often start with the bases empty. These scales shift from season to season and do not transfer to softball, high school or youth leagues, so the rating is shown only for 9-inning games.
Small samples swing wildly: three runs in one inning is a 27.00 ERA. The "next outing" table shows how much a single start moves the season line — a lot early in the year, very little by September.
Frequently asked questions
▸How do you calculate ERA?
Multiply earned runs by 9 and divide by innings pitched. 20 earned runs in 60 innings is 9 × 20 ÷ 60 = 3.00.
▸What does 6.1 or 6.2 innings pitched mean?
6.1 is 6⅓ innings (one out into the seventh) and 6.2 is 6⅔. Convert to outs — 6.2 is 20 outs — and divide by 3 before using the formula.
▸How do you calculate ERA in softball?
Use 7 instead of 9, because a regulation softball game is seven innings: ERA = 7 × earned runs ÷ innings pitched. Most high school baseball uses 7 as well.
▸What is WHIP?
Walks plus hits per inning pitched: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Hit batters, errors and fielder's choices are not included. Around 1.30 is average in MLB and 1.00 is excellent.
▸What is a good ERA?
In MLB, FanGraphs rates about 3.75 as average for a starter, 3.00 as great and 2.50 or lower as excellent. League averages move from year to year, so compare with the same season.
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