No decision

A starting pitcher who leaves a game without earning either a win or a loss is said to have received a no decision.

Major League Baseball (MLB) rules specify that a starting pitcher, to earn a win, must pitch at least five innings, leaving the game with a lead that their team "does not relinquish".

This is one reason that wins and losses are generally viewed by baseball statisticians as being an unreliable indicator of pitching effectiveness.

[3][4] In Major League Baseball (MLB), the record for the most no decisions by a starting pitcher in a single season (dating back to at least 1908) is 20, held by Bert Blyleven in 1979[5] and Zach Davies in 2022.

[8] Although uncommon in contemporary combat sports, except in white-collar boxing, a no decision (ND) occurs in some jurisdictions on combat sports if a fight is stopped before the end of a certain amount of rounds due to an accidental headbutt or injury, as no winner is selected on points.