cliff lee
The starting pitcher.
A pitcher who doesn't get an out in the 1st inning and who is pulled from the game is still considering the starting pitcher. He will be listed this way on the team spreadsheet and roster.
There are many pitchers who have made the fewest pitches in one inning. Three. Each batter swung at the first pitch and it resulted in an out. It still happens today, although it's usually four to six.
The pitcher who got the last out in the previous bottom of that inning. In other word, that pitcher can be credited with the win by making only one pitch. If I'm called in as a reliever and get a ground out to end the inning and then my team goes ahead in the top of the next inning, I would be the winning pitcher. Even if i only threw one pitch.
The win goes to the relief pitcher (assuming there was more than one relief pitcher) whom the official scorer feels was most instrumental in the victory. That relief pitcher must pitch at least 1 full inning, or pitch a crucial out if he pitches less than one inning.
In the event of a Pitcher leaving a game in the 6th inning and the game is tied, the loss will be credited to the Pitcher that allowed the base runner on base that won the game for the opposing team.
Second to Third to First to Pitcher
In Major League Baseball there is no limit per game, but on the second visit in an inning, the pitcher must be replaced. Therefore, in a 9-inning game, a manager could visit the starting pitcher 9 times.
No once the game is tied, the winning and losing pitchers will be determined at that time. The winning pitcher will be the pitcher who pitched the last out of the half inning before his team took the lead for good, and the losing pitcher will be the pitcher who allowed the winning run on base
With no addtional information available, the winning pitcher is the relief pitcher who came in in the 4th inning. Remember, a starting pitcher must pitch five complete innings before he can be credited with a win.
As many as he wants however the manager is only allowed one mound visit per pitcher before he has to take that pitcher out of the game.
Pitch count has nothing to do with eligibility to be the winning pitcher. In a scheduled 9-inning game, the starting pitcher must pitch 5 complete innings to be eligible to be the winning pitcher. Relief pitchers must be the pitcher of record when the winning team takes the lead, and never relinquishes the lead, to be the winning pitcher.