Skip to content

What Is NRFI in Baseball Betting? Understanding This Popular MLB Wager

There are plenty of ways to be on Major League Baseball and lots of opportunities with teams playing 162 games during the regular season. More games follow in the playoffs.

Leadoff hitters like Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros, and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies are among players who get their teams off to strong starts. Starting pitchers who shut down teams in the opening inning is also a key to success.

What Is NRFI In Baseball Betting? Understanding This Popular MLB Wager
North Rhine-Westphalia, Hattingen | Fabian Strauch / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP

For those who want to branch out from picking outright winners, teams that will cover against the run line, or which games with land over the total try NRFI betting. You can always look into how round robin betting works for another way to bet.

Let’s take a look at the NRFI meaning and how to use this betting option.

 

Breaking Down NRFI and YRFI Betting Options

What Is NRFI in Baseball?

What does NRFI mean? NRFI stands for No Runs In The First Inning. In order to win the bet, both teams have to be held scoreless in the first inning. If there is a run in the bottom of the first inning after a scoreless top of the inning, that will go down as a losing bet.

There are those who prefer the YRFI bets. That stands for Yes Run First Inning.

A leadoff home run can provide an early win for those who don’t want to wait for nine innings of baseball to see if they come out as a winner.

It is wise to check out which home parks produce the highest and lowest-scoring games. Going with NRFI bets at the launching pad at Coors Field is a pretty risky bet.

Elite starting pitchers will attract plenty of NRFI bets while struggling pitchers are popular in YRFI bets. The next step is to try NRFI betting when the 2025 MLB season gets going.

Don’t be afraid to calculate your betting odds with our online calculator. We are here to help.

 

How To Bet No Runs In First Inning Bets?

The odds in MLB NRFI bets can be impacted by the quality of the starting pitcher or the hitting numbers of both teams.

It never hurts to check out the batter vs pitcher matchups and also the home and away splits.

It can be offered with the option of “Will there be a run scored in the first inning? Yes or No” That is pretty simple.

Other times, there will be Over 0.5 and Under 0.5 betting options in the first inning.

NRFI bets can be frustrating at times. It is similar to trying to figure out how much time will elapse at the time of the first score in an NFL game or which team will score first in an NHL game. When they hit, it is a nice feeling.

 

Which Pitchers Thrive in the First Inning?

During the 2024 season, the best pitcher in the first inning was Luis Severino of the New York Mets. In his first season with the Mets after some strong seasons with the New York Yankees, Severino allowed 18 hits, six runs, and three earned runs and struck out 38 in 31 games in the first inning. Severino did not allow a home run in the first inning in his 31 starts.

Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies had a 1.13 ERA in the first inning with 32 starts. He had 39 strikeouts and three walks. Those taking part in NRFI betting loved it when Wheeler’s turn in the rotation came around.

Jameson Taillon of the Chicago Cubs, Erick Fedde of the St. Louis Cardinals, Michael King of the San Diego Padres and the Kansas City Royals duo of Seth Lugo and Brady Singer all had ERA under 2.00. Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox led all MLB pitchers with 47 strikeouts in the first inning during the 2024 season.

Charlie Morton of the Atlanta Braves, Colin Rea of the Milwaukee Brewers, Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros, Carlos Rodon of the New York Yankees, Griffin Canning of the Los Angeles Angels and Austin Gomber of the Colorado Rockies were pitchers to avoid in the NRFI bets.

For those scoring at home, Miami’s Roddery Munoz led all MLB pitchers with 10 home runs surrendered in the first inning of games in 2024. That happened in just 17 innings.

Canning, Rodon, Kutter Crawford of the Boston Red Sox, and Matt Waldron of the San Diego Padres allowed nine first-inning home runs.

 

Which Teams Fared The Best in the First Inning?

When looking at the NRFI betting options, it is wise to check out the MLB betting trends and see which teams put up the most runs in the first inning.

No team scored more frequently in the first inning of games in 2024 than the Arizona Diamondbacks. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies were the only other teams to have more than 100 runs in the first inning. The Dodgers beat the Yankees to win the World Series so don’t underestimate the importance of scoring early.

The Cincinnati Reds were last in MLB with a .198 batting average in the first inning in 2024 with the Chicago White Sox scoring just 56 first-inning runs.

The New York Mets had the best team ERA of 2.83 in the first inning of games. Those taking part in NRFI bets were pretty aware of that fact.

The Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles were the other teams with the best ERAs in the first inning. It was wise to avoid the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies as they all had ERAs over 5.00 in the first inning of games.

Looking for more insights? Learn how to bet on sports with our handy guide!

Related Tags

MLB News

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)

Featured Picks

Related News