What is a No-Decision? Definition and Examples
A no-decision occurs when a starting pitcher leaves a game without qualifying for either the win or the loss, usually because the score was tied when he exited.
What is a No-Decision?
A no-decision (ND) is the official scoring outcome when a starting pitcher departs a game without being the pitcher of record for either a win or a loss. It happens most often when the starter exits with the game tied, or when his team takes the lead after he leaves. The starter's performance is fully recorded in his individual stats — innings, runs, strikeouts — but the game's W or L goes to a reliever instead.
How It's Determined
The win/loss rules drive everything:
- A starter must pitch at least five innings and leave with the lead that his team never surrenders to earn a pitcher win.
- The pitcher of record when his team takes the lead for good gets the win; the pitcher responsible for the go-ahead run (via earned runs rules) takes the loss.
- If the starter leaves with the game tied, or his team trails and never leads, or he leaves before five innings with a lead that holds, the decision passes to the bullpen — and the starter gets a no-decision.
A reliever who blows the lead and then watches his team retake it can also end up with a no-decision on the game while collecting a blown save.
Worked Example
Classic ace frustration: Gerrit Cole throws 7 innings, allows 1 run, strikes out 10, and leaves with the game tied 1–1. His team wins 3–1 in the ninth. The win goes to the reliever who pitched the eighth; Cole gets a no-decision despite a dominant outing. In 2019, Jacob deGrom famously posted a 2.43 ERA with 255 strikeouts but only an 11–8 record — a season full of no-decisions and hard-luck losses caused by minimal run support, which is precisely why voters looked past wins and gave him the Cy Young Award.
Why It Matters
The no-decision is the statistical proof that pitcher wins measure team context, not pitcher quality. A starter on a low-scoring team can rack up 15+ no-decisions in a season while pitching brilliantly. This is why front offices, analysts, and modern award voters rely on ERA, FIP, WHIP, and WAR instead of W-L records. In fantasy baseball, no-decisions are pure pain in wins-based leagues — streaming pitchers on high-powered offenses is a common strategy to minimize ND risk.
Limitations and Misconceptions
A no-decision is not a neutral or mediocre outcome — it's the absence of a decision, nothing more. Fans often misread a 10–8 record with 12 no-decisions as inconsistency when the underlying performance was elite. Also, a starter who leaves after 4.2 innings with a 5–0 lead that holds gets a no-decision, not a win — the five-inning minimum is absolute, and the official scorer awards the win to the most effective reliever instead.
In Legends Deck: Simulation results credit wins and losses using real scoring rules, so pitcher cards can post no-decisions — and card ratings driven by ERA, FIP, and stuff metrics rather than W-L record reflect a pitcher's true quality.