A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a game on TV and a pitcher used a lot of pitches in the first inning. Meanwhile, on the screen, it showed that he had an ERA over 4 in the first innings last year. That makes me think of a question, are there any other pitchers who have the same problem?
By far, which pitchers have some struggles in the first inning?
Kris Bubic made 20 starts and 9 relief appearances for the Royals last year, posting a 4.43 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. By far this season, Bubic made 5 starts, but very unfortunately, he gave up 18 runs (all earned) in 12.1 innings. Among those 5 starts, there was only one game that Bubic didn’t allow a run in the first inning. Additionally, there were two games where Bubic was hit hard and couldn’t finish his job in the first inning. He went only 0.2 innings in his first start of the season and in his most recent start, he only tossed 0.1 innings.
Last season, Freddy Peralta had a pretty good season with a 2.81 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 144.1 innings. Nonetheless, Peralta currently has an over 5 ERA after making 5 starts. Among those 5 starts, Peralta gave up at least a run in the first inning 4 times. So far this season, Peralta already allowed 10 runs (all earned) in the first inning.
Reiver Sanmartin made it into the big league last year and he only gave up 2 runs in 11.2 innings. However, he has had some rough times this year. He made 4 starts and 1 relief appearance, posting a 13.78 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP. In his most recent start, he only went 0.2 innings and gave up 6 runs (all earned). Sanmartin was optioned to the Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) on May 2.
In addition, Aaron Civale was quite reliable in the Guardians rotation last year. He made 21 starts and owned a 3.84 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 124.1 innings in 2021. Nevertheless, he did have some problems in his first 5 starts of the 2022 season. Among those 5 starts, there were 3 games in which he gave up at least 1 run in the first inning. Civale now has an ERA over 9.
Yu Darvish was outstanding in his first start this season, tossing 6 innings without allowing a hit. However, in his second start, he gave up 6 runs in the first inning and he only went 1.2 innings. Additionally, he gave up 2 runs against the Pirates in the first inning on April 29. Darvish currently has a 4.05 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.
Finally, JT Brubaker gave up 8 runs (7 earned) in the first innings thus far. Meanwhile, Mitch Keller and Charlie Morton each allowed 7 earned runs in the first innings by far this season.
It’s never ideal to give up too many runs and let your opponent take a huge lead in the beginning of a game. However, it seems that some pitchers do have first inning struggles and each team will have to find solutions. As using an opener is quite common in the majors now, using an opener might be a possible solution. However, there might be other options to help a starting pitcher get ready for the game and identify the right game plan.
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