I’m sure all of us at some point in our lives have heard this from a parent or coach, “you can’t win all of the time”. Multiply that by 162 games for MLB teams. The late Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda summed it up the best: “No matter how good you are, you’re going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are, you’re going to win one-third of your games. It’s the other third that makes the difference.” While it’s clear that he did not envision the last two seasons of the White Sox and Rockies, the point is that there are so many times during a season when an MLB manager decides that the other team will most probably win the game and it’s best to use a pitcher that will give the team innings. Every team needs innings eaters who allow the manager to save the top relievers for the next game.

An innings eater is a pitcher who is known for pitching a large number of innings in a game or season. Typically, they maintain a low pitch count and allow batters to put the ball in play, rather than rely on strikeouts. Historically, each team had a “long reliever”, someone who could come in during the first three innings of a game to relieve a starter who just didn’t have his stuff. Most of them were previous starters who lost their effectiveness over time and accepted a new role to help the team get through the season. In post-season play where a rotation of the four best starters is common, teams often keep their fifth starter on the roster to serve in this innings-eater role. A new concept nowadays is to protect your fifth starter by using an opener, a relief pitcher who begins the game and pitches just one inning against your opponent’s best hitters at the top of the lineup.

Edwin Jackson, who played for 14 MLB teams in his 17-year career (2003-2019), is the most notorious innings eater. Jackson pitched for more teams than any player in MLB history. His all-time stats include a 107-133 record with a 4.78 ERA. While his highlights include an All-Star appearance in 2009 and a no-hitter in 2010, most of his time was spent as a fourth or fifth starter going from team to team. Jackson parlayed a solid season with the Nationals in 2012 when he was 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA to a 4-year, $52 million contract with the Cubs beginning in 2013! In April of his first season with Chicago, he, along with another Cubs pitcher, broke the record for wild pitches in an inning with five. His 2013 record was 8-18, followed by a 6-15 2014 record, and in 2015 he became the Cubs’ long reliever. Jackson finished his career in 2019 with stints with the Blue Jays and Tigers.

A more successful innings eater was Jamie Moyer, whose 25-year career (1986-2012) spanned eight MLB teams. Moyer was a soft tosser, a lefty that didn’t throw that hard but kept hitters off balance with an assortment of pitches. His best seasons were with the Mariners, as he compiled records of 17-5, 15-9, and 14-8 in 1997, 1998, and 1999. Jamie was 269-209 lifetime. Moyer’s longevity was a testament to his pitching style. In April 2012, he became the oldest pitcher, at 49 years old, to win an MLB game. At the time he retired, he had faced about 9% of all MLB hitters to have played the game in the modern era. Bottom line, Moyer gave his managers tons of innings and wins.

Today’s innings eater has to be Jordan Lyles, who has pitched for nine MLB teams in fourteen seasons (2011-2024). Lyle’s career stats so far are on the dismal side, 72-107 with a 5.22 ERA, the fourth highest ERA of any pitcher in MLB history with at least 1,000 innings on the mound. Yet, MLB teams keep signing him and giving him the baseball year after year. He stays off the IL, gives managers innings, and takes the ball whenever called upon. It’s not a bad gig. After signing a 2-year contract for $17 million with the Royals, he had a tough season in 2023 with a 6-17 record and a 6.28 ERA record in 31 games. Not exactly the kind of performance you want out of your fifth starter. Lyles is currently a free agent.

This past week, another current innings eater, Charlie Morton of the Orioles, pitched his Baltimore squad to a 3-2 win over the White Sox. Morton is now 6-0 lifetime over the Sox, recording an ERA of 1.70 and 35 strikeouts. Five of those wins are with different teams! Morton has always been that steady back of the rotation starter, a 138-130 record with a 4.08 ERA. Morton also has pitched for several teams (Braves, Pirates, Phillies, Astros, Rays, and Orioles) in 18 seasons. His best two seasons were in 2017 and 2018 with Houston, compiling records of 14-7 and 15-3. That kind of success helped him garner some pretty lucrative contracts over the past six seasons. Just give him the ball!

Reds pitcher Brent Suter looks to be on the way to be an innings eater. His current role on the team is to be Cincinnati’s long reliever and spot starter. So far, so good this season, as he has a 1-0 record with a 2.43 ERA. The Reds are Suter’s third team, pitching previously with the Brewers and Rockies. It’s a coming home party for Brent since he played high school baseball in Cincinnati before an outstanding college career at Harvard. Like many of the innings eaters mentioned above, Suter adds a dimension of leadership to the team with a willingness to accept any role on the pitching staff.

I’ve been an innings eater, too! You see, in high school one summer I pitched for a team that had a pretty grueling schedule and not quite enough pitchers to get us through the games. We played every Thursday and Friday evening, a doubleheader on Saturday, and a Sunday afternoon game to boot. Oftentimes, I pitched the Thursday game and was brought back to start the Sunday matinee. I have this not so fond memory of getting pounded on one of those Sunday afternoons, losing 8-1 in the fifth inning, when my manager strolled to the mound. He told me to look to the sideline to see who was warming up. I did, and there was no one there. He then patted me on the back and simply said, “it’s your game”.

Until next Monday,

your Baseball Bench Coach