A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
scenarios; one in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
, and the other in
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
and related
combat sport
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the oppon ...
s.
Baseball and softball
A
starting pitcher
In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...
who leaves a game without earning either a win or a loss is said to have received a ''no decision''.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) rules specify that a starting pitcher, in order to earn a win, must pitch at least five innings, leaving the game with a lead that their team "does not relinquish". There is no innings requirement for a starting pitcher to earn a loss, simply that the pitcher allows a run that gives the winning team a lead that they do not relinquish. When a starting pitcher does not earn a win or a loss, it is a no decision, and the outcome of the game does not affect the starting pitcher's
win–loss record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
, as a
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
will receive the win or loss.
Attributing wins, losses, and no decisions can be complex, such as when a starting pitcher leaves a game mid-inning with runners on base, as runs scored by those runners would still be considered the starting pitcher's responsibility. Further, if a starting pitcher leaves a game while losing (colloquially, that pitcher is said to be "on the hook"), he or she will receive a no decision if their team comes back to tie the score or take the lead, regardless of the final outcome.
Box score
A box score is a structured summary of the results from a sport competition. The box score lists the game score as well as individual and team achievements in the game.
Among the sports in which box scores are common are baseball, basketball, ...
s for completed games indicate who the winning and losing pitchers are, as determined by the
official scorer
In the game of baseball, the official scorer is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices. In addition to recording the events on the field ...
; the absence of a win or loss designation for a starting pitcher indicates a no decision.
Examples
''Assume in these examples that each starting pitcher exits the game at the end of the 6th inning.''
Red Starter gets the win since, during the time that he or she was in the game, the Red team established a lead that was never relinquished. Conversely, Blue Starter gets the loss. While the run that provided the winning margin could be viewed as having been scored in the eighth inning, after both starters had left the game, the first-inning lead was never relinquished (the Red team was always in the lead).
Red Starter and Blue Starter each get a no decision, as the 4–0 lead established in the first inning was later relinquished (at the end of the eighth inning, the score was tied).
![Tommy John - New York Yankees - 1981](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Tommy_John_-_New_York_Yankees_-_1981.jpg)
The above examples highlight how events that happen ''after'' starting pitchers have left the game can affect whether they receive a decision (win or loss) or no decision. This is one reason that wins and losses are generally viewed by
baseball statisticians
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
as being an unreliable indicator of pitching effectiveness.
MLB records
In
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB), the record for the most no decisions by a starting pitcher in a single season (dating back to at least 1908) is 20, held by
Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 ...
in 1979 and
Zach Davies
Zachary Ryan Davies (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondba ...
in 2022.
Tommy John
Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...
has the all-time record of 188 career no decisions. The starting staff of the
1918 Boston Red Sox recorded only three no decisions, the fewest of any MLB team dating back to at least 1908, while the fewest in a 162-game season is 16, by the
1980 Oakland Athletics. The record for most no decisions by a group of starting pitchers is 66, set by the
1993 Cleveland Indians.
Boxing and related combat sports
Although uncommon in contemporary combat sports, except in
white-collar boxing
White-collar boxing is a form of boxing in which people in white-collar professions train to fight at special events. Most have had no prior boxing experience.
Early history
White-collar boxing has its beginnings at Gleason's Gym in New York Ci ...
, a ''no decision'' (ND) occurs in some jurisdictions on combat sports if a fight is stopped before the end of a certain amount of rounds due to an accidental headbutt or injury, as no winner is selected on
points. In old times, such as the 19th century and all the way to the mid-20th century, fights could be decided as no-decisions if there was no knockout at the end of a pre-arranged or scheduled amount of rounds. This could be by law, to discourage gambling; by rules to discourage injury of amateurs; or by prearrangement of the fighters, to protect titles from sudden upsets.
This should not be confused with the unrelated contemporary term "
no contest
' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense.
In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...
".
References
{{reflist, 30em
Boxing terminology
Pitching statistics