Time for MLB to change the five inning rule for starters

Noah Syndergaard pitched three solid innings in Game 4 of the division series against the Braves and left with a three-run lead. He pitched longer than any reliever who followed him to the mound, and was arguably the most effective pitcher they used all night. But Brad Hand, who faced four batters in the fifth inning, got the win.

The MLB rule that starting pitchers must go five innings to get the win is a relic of the days when nine innings was the expectation. In those days, if the starters left before the fifth inning, it meant that he had been pounded, and the guy who followed him would probably get as many outs as the starter. So, the most common scenario was that the starter left in the third or fourth inning with, say, a 7-5 lead, and the long reliever would come in and hold that lead until the eighth or ninth inning. In that circumstance, the long reliever was clearly more effective than the starter, and deserved the win.

MLB needs to adjust wins rule to account for modern game

That’s no longer how it works. Syndergaard started the game Saturday with no expectation of finishing the fifth inning. He turned the ball over to the bullpen with a 78.4% chance of winning, according to ESPN. That percentage dropped to 71.4% when Matt Olson homered off Andrew Bellatti, but it never went below that. Basically, the game was decided during Syndergaard’s time on the mound.

In most cases, Bellatti would have gotten the win, but since he gave up a home run, the official scorer decided to give it to Hand. Could he have decided to give it to Syndergaard? Nope, that’s not allowed.

Maybe this isn’t always cut and dried, but there should be a scenario where a starting pitcher who leaves the game before the fifth inning with a big lead gets the win. I would be in favor of dropping the minimum down to three innings. Failing that, I would be in favor of at least giving the official scorer the prerogative of awarding the win to the starter if he was the most effective pitcher and the winning run scored before he left.

Part of the issue I have with this is that we have gotten to the point where everything that happens in a baseball game is accounted for. Middle relievers who do their job are given a “hold.”  Closers either get a save or a blown save. But Syndergaard pitched three good innings and gets nothing. MLB needs to make sure that changes.