ESPN.com · Jan 2, 2025
MLB's top 10 starting pitching rotations, New Year's edition
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What a strange time it is for the art of starting pitching in Major League Baseball.
The narrative in recent years has been the loss of its primacy as a star attraction. Fewer innings go to starters in general, and no starters carry the epic workloads of their forebears. When the World Series is decided, if a starter is on the mound, it's because he came out of the bullpen, as Walker Buehler did when he locked down the Los Angeles Dodgers' championship in late October.
One hundred years ago, starting pitchers accounted for around 91% of all innings pitched and averaged just over eight innings per outing. Last season, starters threw 59% of all innings and averaged 5\u2154 frames.