Winning percentage

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Please improve this article if you can. (August 2007)

In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is equal to wins divided by wins plus losses. Ties may be excluded from the count altogether or counted as half a loss and half a win. Winning percentage is one way to compare the record of two teams; however, another standard method most frequently used in baseball and professional basketball standings is games behind.

$\mathrm{Winning}\ \mathrm{percentage} = \frac{\mathrm{Wins}}{\mathrm{Wins} + \mathrm{Losses}}$

In baseball, pitchers are assessed wins and losses as an individual statistic (See: Win (baseball)) and thus have their own winning percentage. A pitcher's winning percentage is commonly expressed to three digits.

However, the winning percentage in hockey is figured with points, not win/losses. A team's winning percentage, in Hockey is equal to points divided by the total possible points.

$\mathrm{Winning}\ \mathrm{percentage} = \frac{\mathrm{Points}}{\mathrm{Total}\ \mathrm{possible}\ \mathrm{points}}$

The name "winning percentage" is actually a misnomer, since a winning percentage, such as 0.536, is commonly not expressed as a percentage. The same value expressed as a percentage would be 53.6%.

[edit] Statistics

Major League Baseball

Winning percentage	Wins	Losses	Year	Team	Comment
0.798	67	17	1880	Chicago Cubs	best pre-modern season
0.763	116	36	1906	Chicago Cubs	best National League 154-game season
0.721	111	43	1954	Cleveland Indians	best American League 154-game season
0.716	116	46	2001	Seattle Mariners	best American League 162-game season
0.130	20	134	1899	Cleveland Spiders	worst pre-modern season
0.248	38	115	1935	Boston Braves	worst National League season
0.235	36	117	1916	Philadelphia Athletics	worst American League season
0.265	43	119	2003	Detroit Tigers	worst 162-game season