The 3.2 you used in doing the math is 3 2/10.
Replace the 3.2 in your equation with 3.666666 (3 2/3) and the math will be correct.
Edit - Brandon - 9 earned runs in 36 innings is NOT an ERA of 4.00. The math you did tells you that the pitcher allowed one earned run for every four innings pitched.
The formula for ERA is to divide the number of earned runs by the number of innings pitched, then multiply by nine. 9 earned runs in 36 innings is therefore an ERA of 2.25.
Era is earned run average. This is the numbers that show how many average runs a pitcher let's up very 9 innings. So you have Justin Verlander. He has 9 runs allowed in 36 innings. Divide 36 innings by 9 runs and get 4 earned runs in 9 innings. Justin verlander would have an era of 4.00
He pitched 3 and 2/3 innings which is 11/27 of the game, that is to say, 11 of the 27 outs. So 5=(11/27)x where x is the era. Solving for x, we multiply both sides by 27/11 and get the value you have for x.
ERA = earned run average
It is a pitcher's statistic, intended to show how many runs she/he allowed that were not necessarily enabled by a fielding error or a passed ball.
Brendan, you may have season tickets, won your league and played ball, but you don't know how ERA is calculated? By your logic, if I pitched 36 Innings, gave up 36 runs, my ERA would be 1.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=sabatc.01&t=p&year=0&post=1
It shows that in 2008, (with the Brewers) Sabathia pitched:
3.2 innings
allowed 5 earned runs
his ERA was 12.27
Would his ERA be 14.06? 5/3.2x9---->14.06
Why is it 12.27?
