Scribd
Upload
254 views

Baseball Scorekeeping

Keeping score of a baseball game with paper and pencil provides an engaging way for fans to follow the action and have a memento of the game. The document teaches the basics of scoring, including using position numbers and abbreviations to record hits, outs, runs and plays in a shorthand format on a scorecard. Key details like double plays and fielding sequences are indicated through combinations of numbers and lines drawn on the card. Mastering this scoring method allows fans to capture the full story of the game.

Uploaded by

Anonymous 3Ey8Ylq0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
254 views

Baseball Scorekeeping

Keeping score of a baseball game with paper and pencil provides an engaging way for fans to follow the action and have a memento of the game. The document teaches the basics of scoring, including using position numbers and abbreviations to record hits, outs, runs and plays in a shorthand format on a scorecard. Key details like double plays and fielding sequences are indicated through combinations of numbers and lines drawn on the card. Mastering this scoring method allows fans to capture the full story of the game.

Uploaded by

Anonymous 3Ey8Ylq0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

How To Score a Baseball Game

Scoring a baseball game with paper and pencil is a tradition that goes back
to the early days of the game. Keeping score is a great way to get more
involved as a fan. Youll get really engaged in the game. Moreover, each
scorecard is a story of each game that you go to. Scorecards make a great
memento of all the baseball games youve attended. Unfortunately, with the
rise of high tech scoreboards and cell phones that can give updates right in
the palm of your hand, keeping score with a game card is becoming a lost
art. Heres how to do it.

Ready the card.


Get your card. Most baseball programs come with scorecards.
Write each teams batting line-up down the left hand side of the
card. In addition to the players name, include their position
number (see below) and jersey number.

Learn the code.


Theres a shorthand that has developed to assist in scoring
baseball games. You can develop your own style, but heres the
standard method:
Position numbers. Each position is assigned a number. These
numbers will be used when you record fielding plays.
Pitcher- 1
Catcher- 2
First Base- 3
Second base- 4
Third base- 5
Shortstop- 6
Left field- 7
Center field- 8
Right field- 9
Designated hitter- DH

Batter shorthand.
When a batter is up, keep track of whether he hit, got walked, or
struck out with these basic abbreviations:
Strikeout- K
Looking strikeout (where the batter doesnt swing)backwards K
Walked- BB (base on balls)
Single- 1B
Double- 2B
Tripple- 3B
Homerun- HR
F- flyout
DP- double play

Follow the game.


With your card ready in one hand and a hot dog slathered with
mustard in the other, youre ready to score the game. Each player
has a row of squares with baseball diamonds next to their name.
Well use these squares to track the progress of each batter.
If a batter hits a single, write 1B outside the diamond and darken
the line from home plate to first. If the runner on first advances
to second, darken the line from first to second.
And so on until the runner gets home. Heres an example:

If the runner scores, fill in the diamond with your pencil.


If a batter strikes out, write a K in the middle of the diamond.
If that batter was the first out, write a 1 with a circle around it.
Indicate subsequent outs in the similar fashion.
If the batter makes an out after hitting the ball, you want to
record how the play happened.
Going back to our Jeter example. Say Jeter hits a grounder to the
pitcher and the pitcher fields it and throws it to first base, the out
would be recorded by writing 1-3 across the diamond. This
indicates that the pitcher fielded the ball first and then threw it to
first getting Jeter out.

Easy enough. How about double plays? Lets say we have Jeter on
first base after hitting a single. The scorecard will look like this:

Now, Giambi is up to bat and hits a grounder to the shortstop.


The shortstop throws it to second, getting Jeter on the force out.
The second baseman throws it to first, getting Giambi out. Heres
how we record it. First, we want to indicate Jeter got out at
second on a grounder by Giambi. Do this by darkening the line
from first to second only halfway.
Write 25 next to that line indicating that it was Giambi that hit
the ball that caused Jeters out. Jeters row will look like this:

On Giambis row, well write 6-4-3 across the diamond


indicating the fielding sequence. Above that we write DP
indicating that he caused a double play. Dont forget to add a 2
with a circle around it indicating that he was the second out.
Giambis row will look like this:

If a batter flys out, write F followed by the fielder who caught


the ball. So, if the centerfielder catches a fly ball, you would write
F8 inside the diamond of the batter who hit the ball.

If you want to show a runner on base getting tagged out or


forced out, draw a line half way to the base they were headed to
as well as the fielding sequence of the out.
For example, say Jeter was on first after hitting a single. Giambi
hits a grounder to third. Third baseman fields and throws it to
second getting the force out. This is what Jeters row would look
like:

You might also like