A relief pitcher often inherits runners from the pitcher he replaces on the mound.
Seems like the most runners a pitcher can inherit is three, right? Well, not exactly, as Baltimore Orioles righty Andrew Kittredge can attest to after Wednesday's action.
Kittredge entered the game in a unique spot. Previous reliever Yennier Cano exited with a 3-0 count due to an injury.
The bases were loaded, so that's three inherited runners for Kittredge. Except when he proceeded to walk Ryan Villade from that 3-0 count, that walk actually goes on Cano's record.
So because it's not Kittredge's walk, it's not really his runner -- it also belongs to Cano.
So when you add that on to Kittredge's ledger, it's statistically four inherited runners.
— MLB Scoring Changes (@ScoringChanges) May 29, 2026MORE: Bryce Harper confuses everyone with viral teeth brushing video
Kittredge did about as well as he could given the circumstance, too.
No, he couldn't get Villade out. But then he struck out three consecutive hitters to end the inning and escape without more damage.
He'd surely like to not enter any more games with a 3-0 count and the bases loaded. But because of how this happened, Kittredge found his way to an astounding statistical loophole. At least for the number nerds out there, it's definitely a fun one.
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