In the statistics of the team sport baseball, a quality start is awarded to a starting pitcher who completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. Developed by sportswriter John Lowe, the statistic is preferred by sabermetricians to that of winning percentage—the number of wins garnered by a pitcher as a fraction of his total starts—insofar as it acts independent of such factors beyond a pitcher's control as fielding errors, blown saves, and poor run support.