First Five Innings (F5)

A baseball bet settled on the score after five innings instead of the full game. It isolates the starting pitchers and removes bullpen variance, which is why pitcher-driven models favor it.

• ERA — Earned runs allowed per 9 innings. Lower is better; under ~3.50 is strong.
• WHIP — Walks + hits allowed per inning. Under ~1.10 is excellent, over ~1.40 is shaky.