When is a homerun unearned?

[BOSSHOG]

Last night in the OSU-UCI college world series game, OSU scored four runs in one inning and the announcer said they were all unearned. Two of the runs came on a homerun. The runner on base got there via an error. But a homerun unearned? Ya learn something new every day.

[MaineDem]

1. Was the error on what would have been the third out?

That might mean all subsequent runs were unearned. Just guessing...

[El Supremo]

4. Your'e right.

See:
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52796.html

[BOSSHOG]

6. I guess I'm overthinking this

I can rationalize an unearned run, but the guy could have hit his homerun in the next inning. At least the stat does not hurt the batter.

[fishwax]

9. it's still earned as far as the batter's concerned, I'm sure

it just doesn't count against the pitcher. :)

[rsdsharp]

8. You're exactly right.

If an error occurs on what would have been the third out of the inning, all runs that score after that in the inning are unearned, even if they would have been earned had the error not occured.

[El Supremo]

2. Was it an inside the park home run?

Then there could have been an error.

[BOSSHOG]

3. No

jacked into the center field stands. However, your reason does make sense.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. Out here in the Great Northwest

we say "Fear the Beaver" :)

[El Supremo]

7. Beavers beat the Eaters?

Now what else has been done with that headline?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. When 'Roid Rage is in effect.

[nickgutierrez]

11. At this point in the development of baseball...

...there's really no need to draw a distinction at all between earned and unearned runs, from the college level on up. Better gloves, more refined defensive technique, and the elimination of gambling/game fixing from baseball has created an environment where we don't need a stat like the error anymore, since it's no longer an accurate way to measure defensive prowess. It probably hasn't really been meaningful since the dead ball era, when power hitting was rare, the triple was what the homer is now, and the three factors I mentioned above that have contributed to defense being possibly the most developed portion of the game since then.

Defensive players aren't measured so much by the number of errors they make anymore, or their fielding percentage, but by their range and the number of balls that they get to (or don't get to) that their peers don't (or do).

[bmbmd]

12. Remember the time that ball bounced off

Jose Canseco's head and went over the fence? That was awesome.

[BOSSHOG]

13. A brilliant highlight indeed

I think that was more embarrassing then the ball between the legs antics of Bill Buckner. Unfortunately for Bill, his game was much more important.

[bmbmd]

14. The greatness of YouTube.....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8MmPFMPl-f4