Two September scoring alterations shifted ERA for the American League's foremost Cy Young contenders. As the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez and Cleveland Indians' Corey Kluber made their cases to be recognized as the league's top pitcher, reversals of errors moved their ERA in opposite directions.
Kluber's went up when Major League Baseball decided in mid-September that what was originally as an error on Mike Aviles in a Sept. 1 game against the Tigers would actually be scored a hit for Miguel Cabrera. The change made all three runs scored in that third inning earned, adding .13 to Kluber's ERA at the time.
For Hernandez, the shift went in the other direction and made what was originally a rough outing into a much more palatable one.
Hernandez's Sept. 23 start against the Blue Jays was initially an eight- earned run drubbing. However, the league office decided a play in which Hernandez struggled fielding a bunt by Josh Thole that had been scored as a single would now be an error.
Despite the error being charged to Hernandez himself, the change removed four earned runs from his resume and lowered his ERA at the time from 2.34 to 2.18.
To sum it up, it ends up being plus three for Kluber and minus four for Hernandez in earned runs.
Hernandez finished the season with a 2.14 ERA after his final start of the season Sunday, narrowly beating out Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (2.17 ERA) for the AL ERA title. Kluber ended up third in the AL with a 2.44 mark.
While the differences may be minute in the bigger picture, the separation between Hernandez and Kluber in major statistical categories is also miniscule.
