Most importantly, Pettitte had never led his league in strikeouts or earned run average.
Only nine Hall of Fame pitchers have a career earned run average of 3.50 or higher.
FORBES: The BBWAA Pitches a Costly Shutout Against Jack Morris
Lidge converted all 41 of his save opportunities this season, while posting a 1.95 earned run average.
We ranked pitchers by our new Forbes Pitching Efficiency Number (FPEN), computed by dividing a pitcher's wins by his earned run average.
His first call-up as a rookie in 1995 saw him post a robust 5.51 earned run average (ERA), leading to trade talk.
In his 18 seasons as a major league pitcher, Morris never had an earned run average less than 3.05 in the regular season.
Individual talent and performance statistics like overall scoring disparity, team batting average, home runs or a pitching staff's earned run average are given no weight at all.
Pitchers were primarily rated on winning percentage, earned run average (ERA) and innings, with limited weight given to strikeouts and (inversely) walks and hits allowed per nine innings.
Pitching in an era of explosive offense, his 3.17 earned run average over that span was nearly a run a game lower than that of an average starting pitcher.
If he were to ever gain the necessary votes for election, Morris would supplant Red Ruffing (3.80) as having the highest earned run average for a Hall of Fame pitcher.
If Morris were ever to be elected to the Hall of Fame, he would have the highest earned run average of any pitcher celebrated in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.
FORBES: The BBWAA Pitches a Costly Shutout Against Jack Morris
With the additions of Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, the Brewers have strengthened a pitching rotation that had the third highest earned run average in the National League last year (4.58).
There are "plus-minus" numbers in hockey (the measure of how many goals a player is on the ice for, both for and against), fumbles in football and earned run average in baseball.
W.A.A. Unfortunately, Sandy Koufax was the last man to join this exclusive club in 1963 when he won 25 ball games, struck out 306 batters and accumulated a miniscule 1.88 earned run average.
FORBES: Why Justin Verlander Deserves To Be The American League's MVP
While Pettitte had more wins and a higher winning percentage than Hentgen, the former ace of the Blue Jays had bested Pettitte in key categories such as earned run average, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games and shutouts.
With a record of 240-138 (.635), a 3.88 earned run average (pitching mostly in an era of big offense) and ten seasons with at least 200 innings, he rates as one of the top pitchers of his time.
From the old school (home runs, batting average, runs batted in, wins, earned run average) to the money ball school (on-base percentage, slugging percentage, wins over replacement player), there's more to feed the stat geek's appetite than ever.
The Angels ranked second this spring with a whopping .300 batting average, but they were dead last in pitching with a 6.56 earned-run average more than a full run worse than the next team.
Without much fanfare, the Mets added Shaun Marcum, an underrated right-hander with a career earned-run average of 3.76.
All five pitchers threw more than 50 innings of relief this season while combining for a 3.12 earned-run average.
Opening-day starter Jon Niese looks poised to improve from his impressive 2012, when he compiled a 3.40 earned-run average.
In 70.33 innings he's had a 4.22 earned-run average and a 6-4 record.
The little-known knuckleballer was already gaining notice for a spectacular season leading the league in wins, earned-run average and strikeouts.
Since 2003, the teams with 1, 000-inning rotations posted a 3.76 bullpen earned-run average, compared with a 4.05 ERA for everybody else.
They owe their success primarily to their pitchers, whose combined 2.36 earned-run average entering Tuesday was the best in the majors.
Even as his earned-run average ballooned at first, batters never could figure out how to hit Rice's pitches into the air.
Yet the Cardinals have the lowest earned-run average in the majors this year (3.07), in part because of the emergence of top prospect Shelby Miller.
Even though Harvey came close to a no-hitter, Saturday's game raised his earned-run average to 0.82 from 0.64 an illustration of his effectiveness so far this season.
The four Sox relievers who pitched at least 50 innings this year--Papelbon, Mike Timlin, Hideki Okajima and Kyle Snyder--registered a major league best 2.75 bullpen earned-run average.
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