Thu, Oct. 8 · 1 game · Stat Lab #15: WHIP: base runners per inning · 6-min read
Press time 17:23 CEST · Final 1/1 · Statcast: posted
- Last night: 1 final
- Game of the Night: Guardians 9, White Sox 5 · Drama 3.00 ★★★★
- Division Series: NYY-TB: Rays win 3-0 · CWS-CLE: Tied 2-2 · SD-MIL: Brewers win 3-1 · ATL-LAD: Dodgers win 3-1
- Stat Lab #15: WHIP: base runners per inning
- Jump to: Glance · Scoreboard · Bracket · Game of the Night · Performers · Statcast · Stat Lab · Wire · World · Web · Terms · Sources
Last Night at a Glance
- AL Division Series Game 4: Guardians 9, White Sox 5 · Tied 2-2
Scoreboard
| Matchup | Final | Drama | Decisions | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE @ CWS | 9-5 | 3.00 ★★★★ | W Sabrowski · L Kay | Box · Savant · Explore |
The Bracket
Wild Card Series (best of three, every game at the higher seed)
- AL: White Sox at Astros: White Sox win 2-0.
- AL: Red Sox at Yankees: Yankees win 2-0.
- NL: Phillies at Braves: Braves win 2-1.
- NL: Cubs at Padres: Padres win 2-0.
Division Series (best of five)
- AL: Yankees at Rays: Rays win 3-0.
- AL: White Sox at Guardians: Tied 2-2 · Game 5: Sun, Oct. 11, 02:00 CEST (8:00 p.m. ET).
- NL: Padres at Brewers: Brewers win 3-1.
- NL: Braves at Dodgers: Dodgers win 3-1.
Championship Series (best of seven)
- AL: Tampa Bay Rays hosts CLE/CWS (slots still open).
- NL: Dodgers at Brewers: Not started · Game 1: Mon, Oct. 12, 02:00 CEST (8:00 p.m. ET).
The whole postseason so far, with every Daily: Postseason hub.
Game of the Night: Guardians 9, White Sox 5
- Drama Index 3.00 ★★★★ · 3 lead changes · Guardians came back from 2 down · peak leverage 3.57 (bottom 5th)
- Top WPA: José Ramírez +0.28 (batter) · Patrick Bailey +0.24 (batter) · Sam Antonacci +0.18 (batter)
- Bottom WPA: Grant Taylor -0.43 (pitcher) · Tim Herrin -0.25 (pitcher) · Jordan Hicks -0.22 (pitcher)
Watch: condensed game, 20 min · recap, 3 min (MLB.com)
| Inning | Matchup | Result | Win probability | WPA | LI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5th | José Ramírez vs. Jordan Hicks | Home Run | CLE 37% → 61% | +0.25 | 1.77 |
| Top 6th | Travis Bazzana vs. Anthony Kay | Double | CLE 37% → 53% | +0.16 | 2.03 |
| Top 6th | Patrick Bailey vs. Grant Taylor | Single | CLE 53% → 66% | +0.13 | 1.95 |
Top Performers
| Starter | Game | IP | H | R (ER) | BB | K | Pitches | GSc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Messick | CLE @ CWS | 2.1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 65 | 41 |
| Hagen Smith | CWS vs. CLE | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 38 |
| Batter | Team | Line | WPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| José Ramírez | CLE | 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI | +0.28 |
| Patrick Bailey | CLE | 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI | +0.24 |
| Sam Antonacci | CWS | 1-for-2, 2 RBI | +0.18 |
| Munetaka Murakami | CWS | 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB, SB | +0.17 |
| Chase Meidroth | CWS | 1-for-4, 2B, BB | +0.12 |
Statcast Corner
| Category | Player | Detail | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unluckiest out | Randal Grichuk (CWS) | line drive out, xBA .886, 64.9 mph (104 km/h), caught by 2B Travis Bazzana | CLE @ CWS, bot 1 |
| Hardest-hit ball | Munetaka Murakami (CWS) | 110.9 mph (178 km/h) single off Tim Herrin | CLE @ CWS, bot 5 |
| Fastest pitch | Jordan Hicks (CWS) | 100.4 mph (162 km/h) four-seamer to Chase DeLauter | CLE @ CWS, top 5 |
| Longest home run | Miguel Vargas (CWS) | 386 ft (118 m), 103.3 mph (166 km/h) | CLE @ CWS, bot 9 |
Stat Lab · Lesson 15: WHIP: base runners per inning
Cade Smith faced six batters in a 9-5 Guardians win over the White Sox last night, and three of them reached base on a hit or a walk. Hits and walks are the two most common ways a batter gets on base, and one simple stat counts them for a whole season. It is called WHIP, and his is 0.96, against 1.30 for the league as a whole. Lower is better.
The idea. WHIP stands for walks plus hits per inning pitched. It adds up the batters a pitcher lets on base in those two ways and divides by his innings, so a starter and a reliever sit on the same scale. Lower is better: every runner is a possible run, and a homer with two men on is worth three runs instead of one. Walks are mostly the pitcher’s own doing. Hits are shakier: whether a ball in play finds a glove depends a lot on the defense and on luck, which BABIP (batting average on balls in play) tracks.
The math. WHIP = (walks + hits) ÷ innings pitched. Cade Smith has walked 23 batters and allowed 48 hits in 74 innings. His WHIP: (23 + 48) ÷ 74.00 = 71 ÷ 74.00 = 0.96, the published figure. Over a nine-inning game, that is 9 × 71 ÷ 74.00 ≈ 8.6 base runners, where the league average is 11.7.
The scale. Among the 389 pitchers with 40-plus innings, his 0.96 is the 25th-lowest. Every nine innings he allows 11.7 − 8.6 = 3.1 fewer base runners than an average pitcher: fewer chances for the other team to score. Runners and runs go together: his ERA is 1.95.
What it doesn’t tell you:
- Batters hit .277 against him on balls in play; the typical pitcher with 40-plus innings allows .285. Nothing unusual there, so his WHIP looks earned.
- Hit batters don’t count: adding his four would raise his WHIP to (71 + 4) ÷ 74.00 = 1.01. Neither do runners who reach on errors.
- A single and a home run count the same in WHIP, one base runner each, though the homer does far more damage.
Try it. Tonight, keep one pitcher’s WHIP yourself: count the hits and walks he allows and the outs he records. Divide the runners by the innings (outs ÷ 3). Five runners in six innings is 5 ÷ 6 = 0.83.
Go deeper: MLB Glossary: WHIP · MLB Glossary: BABIP · FanGraphs Library: DIPS
Check yourself
- Q1. Cade Smith retires the next three batters in order. What happens to his WHIP?
- Q2. A box score shows 6.2 innings. How many innings is that as a decimal?
- Q3. A batter reaches base when he is hit by a pitch. Does that count against the pitcher’s WHIP?
Show answers
- A1. It drops. The runners stay at 71 while the innings grow to 75.00: 71 ÷ 75.00 = 0.95.
- A2. 6 2/3, or 6.67. The digit after the dot counts outs, not tenths.
- A3. No. Only walks and hits go into WHIP, so a pitcher who hits a lot of batters looks a little better than his real traffic on the bases.
Transaction Wire
- Padres: RHP Casey Mize back from the 15-day IL (2.3 WAR this season)
- Padres: recalled LHP Kyle Hart from ACL Padres
- Dodgers: recalled RHP Kyle Hurt from Oklahoma City Comets
- Yankees: status change for RF Aaron Judge (2.0 WAR this season)
- Braves: status change for LHP Martín Pérez (1.5 WAR this season)
- Guardians: signed RHP Anthony Alcantara to a minor league deal
- Dodgers: signed RHP Maikol Lora to a minor league deal
More moves (40)
- Braves: recalled RHP Michael Grove from Gwinnett Stripers
- Braves: recalled RHP Owen Murphy from FCL Braves
- Braves: status change for CF DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
- Braves: status change for DH Dominic Smith
- Braves: status change for DH Kyle Farmer
- Braves: status change for RHP Blake Burkhalter
- Braves: status change for RHP Bryce Elder
- Braves: status change for RHP James Karinchak
- Braves: status change for RHP Reynaldo López
- Braves: status change for RHP Rolddy Muñoz
- Braves: status change for RHP Tyler Uberstine
- Braves: status change for SS Jim Jarvis
- Braves: status change for SS Luke Williams
- Brewers: recalled LHP Colton Gordon from Biloxi Shuckers
- Padres: status change for 2B Mason McCoy
- Padres: status change for 2B Sung-Mun Song
- Padres: status change for 3B Gage Workman
- Padres: status change for DH Will Wagner
- Padres: status change for LHP JP Sears
- Padres: status change for LHP Wandy Peralta
- Padres: status change for RHP Garrett Hawkins
- Padres: status change for RHP Griffin Canning
- Padres: status change for RHP Hunter Stratton
- Padres: status change for RHP Jeremiah Estrada
- Padres: status change for RHP Jhony Brito
- Padres: status change for RHP Randy Vásquez
- Rays: recalled RHP Alex Cook from Durham Bulls
- Yankees: recalled RHP Bradley Hanner from FCL Yankees
- Yankees: recalled RHP Brendan Beck from FCL Yankees
- Yankees: recalled RHP Luis Gil from FCL Yankees
- Yankees: status change for 3B Amed Rosario
- Yankees: status change for C J.C. Escarra
- Yankees: status change for LF Max Schuemann
- Yankees: status change for LHP Tim Hill
- Yankees: status change for RF Jasson Domínguez
- Yankees: status change for RHP Angel Chivilli
- Yankees: status change for RHP Clarke Schmidt
- Yankees: status change for RHP Elmer Rodríguez
- Yankees: status change for RHP Michael Fulmer
- Yankees: status change for RHP Yerry De los Santos
Around the World
- NPB (Japan): Swallows 4, Tigers 0 (shutout)
- Arizona Fall League: Solar Sox 3, Rafters 4 (walk-off) · Javelinas 10, Desert Dogs 2 · Saguaros 1, Scorpions 4
Around the Web
Last Night’s Games
- Guardians 9, White Sox 5 — The Guardians used their Game 5 starter to close Game 4 — now what? (MLB.com)
News
- Bailey comes up big twice — after starting game on bench — MLB.com
- MLB proposes shortening regular season to 154 games in 2029, expanding Division Series to best-of-7 — AP via NBC Sports
- MLB CBA negotiations timeline: Where things stand as Dec. 1 expiration creeps closer — CBS Sports
- The Rays are known for doing more with less. Here are 5 case studies — The Athletic (subscription)
Transactions & Rumors
- MLB Proposes Shorter Regular Season, Playoff Changes — MLB Trade Rumors
- Rays sweep Yankees; Dodgers head to NLCS; Does Cam Jurgens trade signal more changes for Eagles? — CBS Sports
- Pirates Promote Justin Newman To Director Of Amateur Scouting — MLB Trade Rumors
Analysis · Listen (7)
Analysis
- Guardians Erupt for Nine Runs Again, Hang on in Jittery Finish — FanGraphs
- The Diamondbacks’ Gamble on Nolan Arenado Has Paid Off — Just Baseball
- The Month That Was: September 2026 — Baseball Prospectus (subscription)
- Cup of Coffee: October 8, 2026 — Cup of Coffee (subscription)
Listen
- Guardians force Game 5, leave South Side in silence — MLB Morning Lineup · 12 min
- DODGERS ADVANCE WITH BREWERS AND RAYS – Cleveland Survives — Locked On MLB · 32 min
- Effectively Wild Episode 2541: Division Series Theories — Effectively Wild · 104 min
Terms in This Post
Drama Index · Leverage Index (LI) · Win Probability Added (WPA) · Hard-Hit Rate (HardHit%) · Barrel · every term in the Glossary
Sources & Notes
Built automatically from MLB Stats API, Baseball Savant and NPB.jp data; numbers through Oct. 8, 2026, with FIP, xFIP, WAR and wRC+ up to a day behind. Highlight videos link to MLB.com. How this site works