In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of games a relief pitcher has pitched in.
Normally, a pitcher must face at least one batter (or three batters in some relief situations), but exceptions are made in the case of injury.[1] A notable example was Larry Yount, who suffered an injury while throwing warmup pitches after being summoned as a reliever in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game on September 15, 1971.[2] He did not face a batter, but was credited with an appearance because he had been announced as a substitute.[3] Yount never appeared in (or actually played in) any other MLB game.
- ^ "Three Batter Minimum". MLB.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ "Astros' Rookie in 'Brief' Stint". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. AP. September 16, 1971. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 31, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 2". Retrosheet. September 15, 1971. Retrieved May 31, 2018.