To qualify for the ERA (Earned Run Average) title in Major League Baseball, a pitcher must pitch at least one inning for every game his team played during the season. Since the standard MLB season consists of 162 games, this means a pitcher usually must have pitched 162 innings to qualify for the ERA title. This rule has been in place since the 1960s, reflecting a minimum innings pitched threshold equivalent to one inning per team game played. No adjustments or grace periods exist for pitchers who fall short of this limit for ERA qualification. This rule ensures that pitchers have contributed a significant amount of playing time to be eligible to lead the league in ERA. For example, starting pitchers who pitch fewer innings than this requirement are ineligible to qualify for ERA leaderboards, even if their ERA might be lower than qualifying pitchers. In summary:

• Minimum innings pitched to qualify for ERA = 1 inning per team game played
• Currently, in a full MLB season, this equals 162 innings pitched
• This standard has been in place for decades and is strictly enforced without exception for earned run average qualification.

This is distinct from other statistics like strikeouts or wins, where there is no innings threshold to qualify.