unearned run
1
6.5
- noun
- /ʌnˈɜrnəd rʌn/
- Jargon
:
carrera no ganada
- Cotter needs a measly run to keep him from despairing—the cheapest eked-out unearned run ever pushed across.
- allowed unearned runs
- scored an unearned run
- three unearned runs
Examples
-
The next batter made the 3rd out of the inning, making it an unearned run in my book.
Blog text (33) -
Then Junior Spivey singled in Tony Womack for an unearned run.
Blog text (13) -
The man's got a point; I mean, ERA is just a model for how good a pitcher is. How about the fact he gives up more unearned runs than the average pitcher?
Blog text (16) -
Carp lasted a pathetic four innings in Game 2, yielding five runs (two earned, with unearned runs due in part to his throwing error), and took the loss.
Blog text (33) -
He allowed an unearned run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts during a 78-pitch (52-strike) six-inning outing against the Cardinals in Jupiter.
Blog text (21) -
The players were frustrated after giving up three unearned runs due to their own mistakes in the field.
-
In the final inning, a poor throw from the shortstop resulted in an unearned run for the opposing team.
-
The pitcher was relieved that only one unearned run scored after an error by the first baseman.
Antonyms
- Specialized
7
6.3
A run charged to the pitcher when the other team makes no fielding error or passed ball
How Earned
- Specialized
7
6.3
- Jargon
1
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built: 'unearned' (not deserved/obtained without earning) plus 'run' (a score) yields a run that was not earned. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer that it means a run not credited as earned, though the precise baseball-specific cause ( defensive error/passed ball) is technical knowledge beyond basic composition.
Etymology
Unearned run comes from baseball: a run is a point, and when the fielders make a mistake the point was not 'earned' by the batter, so it is called an unearned run. That's why it means a run that happened because of a fielding error, not because of the batter's play.