GUIDE TO BASIC SCORING The Score Sheet Fill in this section with as much information as possible. Opposition Fielding changes are indicated in the space around the Innings Number. This is the innings box, the numbers indicate the number of the inning. Fill in your Team Name in the space provided. Each Player/Batter has their own box of lines. The number 1 thru 9 on the right indicates their batting order. Fill in the starting line up on the first line of the box the additional lines are for substitutions. IP Fill in the number of innings the fielder was on the field in that position. (Completed when substitutions are made or at the end of the game). Pos Fill in the fielding position this player will be playing. This section is for innings totals: AB = Number of At Bats (not including walks(bb); Hit by Pitch (HP); Sacrifice Plays (SH, SF) and Catchers Interference (INT)) R = Number of Runs Scored in that Innings ER = Number of Earned Runs in the Innings (Not too worried if you don t get this right at level 1) H = Number of Hits that were hit in that innings E = Number of Fielding Errors LOB = Number of runners Left on Base at the end of the inning. The first column is for the totals in that innings, the second column is a running total for the game. (There is only one column for the 1 st innings as there is no need for a running total) Fill in both team names in this section, Visiting side on top and Home Side underneath. Record the runs scored per innings, with the end total in the Result Column.
Block Scoring The central section is used for recording how batters get on base and how they move from one base to the next and is known as block scoring. The various squares making up the central section record plays in an anti-clockwise direction, starting at the bottom of the cross-hairs and working your way up and around (same as running the bases). 5 6 F F Bottom Right records the batter-runner s play for first base (One-base hit to Left Field ()) Top Right records how the runner got to 2 nd base (On batter number ) Top Left records how the runner got to 3 rd base (On batter number 5) Bottom Left records how the runner came home (On batter number 6) (Colour in the diamond when a Run Scores) This is the pitch count section, where you will keep track of the number and type of pitches thrown B Ball S Swinging Strike K Called Strike F Foul Ball Ball in Play WAYS TO GET ON BASE (followed by # - direction where it was hit) ERRORS (followed by # of fielder who made the error) One Base hit / (Single) E Catching Error HR BB IBB HP FC Two Base Hit / (Double) Recorded in the Top Right block Three Base hit / (Triple) Recorded in the Top Left block Four Base hit / (Home Run) Recorded in the Bottom Left block Base on Balls Intentional Base on Balls Hit by Pitch Fielder's Choice (use if fielder chose to play a runner rather than the batter) ET EF Throwing Error Fly Error Most Important Record how the batter reaches first base and how he/she comes home (for RBI s) And/or how the batter/runner is out Record how he/she reaches 2 nd and 3 rd bases ADVANCING ROUND BASES (followed by # of batter at bat) # Batter # if advancing because of what batter does SB BK, bk Stolen Base Balk (small case for additional runners advancing on same play) PB, pb Passed Ball WP, wp Wild Pitch SB3 PB3 2 E6 F B B Example: 1. Reached First Base because the short stop fumbled the ball should have been out. 2. Reached 2 nd because of what the 2 nd batter did 3. Stole to 3 rd while batter 3 was at the plate. Came home because of a Passed ball while batter 3 was still at the plate.
OUTS (recorded in a circle) F Fly # Record all fielders numbers involved in getting the out L Line Drive SH Sacrifice Hit P Pop-Up K StriKeout CS Caught Stealing DP Double Play KS B F K S EXAMPLES: A swinging strike-out, which is the pitcher s fourth strike-out of the game (a called strike-out would be written with KL ) 31 A ground-out fielded by the first baseman (#3) and thrown to the pitcher (#1) for the out (an unassisted ground-out would have one number) 18 F5 A fly-out to the third baseman - #5; (a line-out would have an L, and a popup would have a P instead of an F, and they would be preceded by an F for an out in foul territory) SH13 A sacrifice hit (otherwise known as a sacrifice bunt ) fielded by the pitcher (#1) and thrown to the first baseman (#3) for the out ) Not an at bat 3 9 11 25 SF8 1 B F K A sacrifice fly caught by the centre fielder #8; (it would be preceded by an F for an out in foul territory) Not an at bat For double plays and triple plays, the circles marking the outs are joined with straight lines The first hitter of the game hit a double 6 18 CS2 BB 1 11 A caught stealing with the catcher (#2) throwing the ball to the second baseman (#) for the out (note that the available space is made full use of) The second hitter drew a walk to first base The third hitter grounded into a double play, grounding the ball to the shortstop who fielded it and threw to the 2 nd baseman throwing out the runner from first base (1 st out), who then threw to the 1 st baseman throwing out the batter (2 nd out) The first hitter advances on batter #3 BB 1 F B B GDP 3 25 B F K 29
Fielding Change: Batting Change: CHANGES / SUBSTITUTIONS Draw a horizontal line above the batter where the change happened. (Show Fielder's # in Innings Box) - Mark opposing team fielding changes in this way (they will mark yours) You record in the players section your players fielders changes. Draw a Vertical line before the new batter NEW YORK YANKEES 5 5 6 JETER, Derek 2 1 ----- ----- 2 SB2 1 6 1 SB2 GRANDERSON, Curtis 16 6 1 POSADA, Jorge 26 63 Fielding Positions 1 Pitcher 2 Catcher 3 First Base Second Base 5 Third Base 6 Short Stop Left Field 8 Centre Field 9 Right Field SCORE-SHEET TEST The figures for AB, SH, SF, BB, HP, IO and R are taken from the totals on the offense table of the team whose sheet it is. (You may need to quickly tally the total of SH, SF, BB, HP, and IO from your block scoring) LOB refers to the total number of runners Left On Base in the team whose sheet it is; this should be taken from the relevant box under the column for the final inning of the match. PO refers to the total number of players Put Out, recorded in the defense statistics of the opposing team. NOTE: Any empty boxes should be filled with a dash, - or a zero 0. IMPORTANT: The totals obtained from both test sums should be the same. If not, all of the pertinent figures must be re-examined to find the error.
COMMON SCORING ERRORS Please complete all headings on both score sheets. The top score sheet, with the Innings-by-innings score box on it, is used for the away team s batting; the bottom score sheet, with the space for remarks on it, is used for the home team s batting. When completing the batting order, please record the player s name surname first, then first name. Don t forget to complete the innings summary after each innings and check these totals with your scoring partner. (I m not going to be too stressed about the Earned Run totals but that s the only one) Please discuss plays as you are scoring so you both ensure that you are recording the same thing. If there is a play that you both do not agree on, make a note and discuss it with me after the game. Please don t forget to put the batting order number of the player at the plate when runners advance on SB, WP, PB and BK. Circles are used to record outs when doing block scoring there should be no other circles on the score sheets. When coaches make substitutions, please don t forget to mark these on the score sheets: o o Fielding/Position changes, are recorded next to the players name with the total number of completed innings played filled in in the IP column. On the opposing sheet, a horizontal line is drawn above the batter s at bat where the change happened and the position numbers that changed are recorded in the space around the innings number. (If it was a pitching change then you need to turn the horizontal line into a boat ( \ / ) It a batter is substituted out then you need to replace the batter s name with the new batter in the correct order and draw a vertical line before where the change takes place, so we know which stats belong to who. This type of substitution will almost always mean a fielding change as well, which means you need to make that type of change as well. Don t forget to keep a running total of the pitch count for each pitcher, and to count their K s (no need to differentiate between KS and KL a K is a K, although we do score it differently) and BB s. Errors that are a definite should have been out are recorded with a capital E, whilst extra base errors are small case e s. If there is a runner on 1 st and 3 rd, watch the catcher carefully, as most often when the runner on 1 st runs to 2 nd, it is NOT a stolen base, more a defensive indifference (scored o/2) as the catcher won t make the play to get him out as it could cause the runner on 3 rd to come home. Fielder s Choice. When there are runners on base and the batter hits a ground ball, the fielders may choose to try and get a runner out instead of the batter. This is NOT recorded as a hit to the batter, rather an O# (fielder position # of the fielder who chooses to rather get the runner out). By giving this as a hit it then distorts the batters stats as if the fielders had chosen to make the play to get him out (and they do or make an error) then he would not have gotten the hit anyway.