SHEPHERDSTOWN — Just how important is pitching in the game of baseball?

Many baseball experts from Major League managers to general managers to players generally rate pitching anywhere from 60 percent to even a high as 80 percent of the game.

Nothing happens in a game until the pitcher delivers the ball toward the batter.

It would seem today’s game is different than the way things happened in the “dead ball” era or before lights made the playing of night games routine.

The advent of analytics and other numeric reliability may have changed the percentages.

The importance of pitching can also change depending on the game situation. Generally speaking, a lefthanded pitcher facing a lefthanded batter elevates the pitcher’s dominance. The number of base runners and where they are can do things to the percentages.

Defensive shifts can make the pitcher’s importance vary a little as can placing a runner at second base in any extra inning of a Major League Baseball game.

A pitcher with reliable control might not walk batters, but that might be counteracted by a leaky defense that averages three errors per game.

That same shaky defense is helped by a pitcher who notches plenty of strikeouts. If the opponent doesn’t hit the baseball as often, his porous defense won’t be making as many misplays behind him.

Are they playing in a “hitter’s ballpark” or a “pitcher friendly” yard where the fences are deep and home runs not as meaningful?

The wind direction and wind speed could alter the difference pitching makes. Humidity, damp conditions and whether there has been any drizzle or light rain to make base running of less importance and changes the strategy.

How about the quality of the pitcher? If Sandy Koufax is pitching, that particular game might be 95 percent pitching. If a rookie, first-time starter just called up from Class AAA is on call, that team’s pitching might be only 45 percent of the game.

The baseball adage that almost screams “Good pitching will get out good hitting” is usually true. And “good pitching will get out mediocre hitting” is even more true.

If the game were played by robots and not sometimes fallible humans like analytics seem to want it to be, then percentages could be more useful.

But baseball is played by athletes whose importance can change from day to day or even inning to inning.

Somehow obtain pitchers with all-round skills (like the Baltimore Orioles had with four 20-game winners in one season (1971) with Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson) and pitching importance is ramped up accordingly.

Even experts like incomparable manager Earl Weaver knew the importance of pitching, especially when told by one of his players, “Earl, the only thing you know about pitching is that you can’t hit it.”

Pitching and defense win games. Hitting and base running win games. More often than not, pitching is the most important component on any given day.