A method of evaluating the performance of a relief pitcher in the late innings of a baseball game factors through storage and processing of data as to when a pitcher inherits at least one player on base. The following steps of the method are disclosed: first, establishing the number of runs Ri scored by such inherited runners; second, establishing the number of batters B faced in such innings; third, establishing the number of outs; and, finally, evaluating the Relief Quotient "RQ" according to the formula:.function. ##EQU00001## where k is first a predetermined constant selected to scale the RQ to a desired range of magnitudes, n is a second predetermined constant that may be positive or negative and E is a parameter that may be an integer or equal to 0.