I actually think there is scorer's discretion to give the win to the most deserving reliever. It's come up in the past.
Yup, here we go:
There are occasions when the official scorer has some discretion in awarding the win to a pitcher other than the starter, when the starter does not last 4 innings. According to Rule 10.17, the pitcher at the time the team takes the lead shall be awarded the win...unless that pitcher is a starter who didn't last 5 innings. In this event, "the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher...the relief pitcher who, in the official scorer’s judgment was the most effective, if there is more than one relief pitcher."
Yup, here we go:
There are occasions when the official scorer has some discretion in awarding the win to a pitcher other than the starter, when the starter does not last 4 innings. According to Rule 10.17, the pitcher at the time the team takes the lead shall be awarded the win...unless that pitcher is a starter who didn't last 5 innings. In this event, "the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher...the relief pitcher who, in the official scorer’s judgment was the most effective, if there is more than one relief pitcher."
OLSEN left in the 5th the other night:
Florida built a 5-0 lead by the third inning, capped by Boone's two-run shot, and took no chances when starter Scott Olsen struggled with his control.
Olsen was yanked in the fifth after giving up a two-run single to Jeff Francoeur, having walked five in 4 1-3 innings. He left with a 5-2 lead, but didn't pitch long enough to qualify for the win. "You owe it to the other 24 guys," Gonzalez said. "You would love to have given him the opportunity, but it was one of those gut feelings, you know?"
Justin Miller got out of further trouble in the fifth and Kevin Gregg escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth.
Olsen was tightlipped about being yanked just two outs short of qualifying for a win.
"Not my call," he kept repeating over and over, though he did concede, "My control was bad on every ball I threw, for the most part."
Gonzalez wasn't concerned about shaking Olsen's confidence. "We'll keep building on it," the manager said. "Here's a 23-year old kid that we need to get better. We will and he will."
Florida built a 5-0 lead by the third inning, capped by Boone's two-run shot, and took no chances when starter Scott Olsen struggled with his control.
Olsen was yanked in the fifth after giving up a two-run single to Jeff Francoeur, having walked five in 4 1-3 innings. He left with a 5-2 lead, but didn't pitch long enough to qualify for the win. "You owe it to the other 24 guys," Gonzalez said. "You would love to have given him the opportunity, but it was one of those gut feelings, you know?"
Justin Miller got out of further trouble in the fifth and Kevin Gregg escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth.
Olsen was tightlipped about being yanked just two outs short of qualifying for a win.
"Not my call," he kept repeating over and over, though he did concede, "My control was bad on every ball I threw, for the most part."
Gonzalez wasn't concerned about shaking Olsen's confidence. "We'll keep building on it," the manager said. "Here's a 23-year old kid that we need to get better. We will and he will."
