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How to Score Baseball

Some games are really simple to score aren’t they, I mean, some games, like soccer for example, very often don’t even have a score, “0 – 0″, how boring is that –  but there is a real art to scoring baseball, it’s a skill which thousands of fans have enjoyed and passed down throughout the history of the game. The electronic scoreboards present at the majority of the games these days might just mean that this could become a dying art . . . we must not let that happen. If you know how to score a baseball game you not only know who wins but it can really increase your enjoyment of the whole experience and you’ll  have a step by step record of the whole game forever.

To the people who don’t know how to read a baseball score card the photo on the right will mean absolutely nothing, just a lot of squiggles and numbers, but to those of us “in the know” it paints an entirely different picture. Watch, listen and learn.

How to Score Baseball

Baseball scorecards are usually included with the program, but if you don’t fancy spending a few dollars on them then you can always make your own and take it with you, or download one from the internet, there seem to be loads to choose from these days. Anyway, you will need a scorecard, you will need a pencil, and you will need a little bit of know-how.

Prepare the baseball card by writing the batting line-up of each team along the left side of the card. You will need the players name, the players number and the number of their position. You will then have to learn the language of the baseball code . . .  As you go along you’ll probably develop your own code, but for starters here’s a standard set for you to learn. Do you speak baseball? I don’t mean talk about it constantly, I mean, speak the language of baseball?

Baseball Position Numbers

Every position has a different number . . . you need to learn them so you don’t get confused in the heat of the moment!

1. Pitcher
2. Catcher
3. First Base
4. Second Base
5. Third Base
6. Short stop
7. Left Field
8. Center Field
9. Right Field
10. Well, it’s not a number 10 really, it’s usually DH which stands for Designated Hitter.

Okay, read and learn those numbers, there might be questions later . . .  Have you got it? Right, we’ll go on to the next baseball language lesson:

Batter Shorthand

This helps you to keep track of whether the batter hit, struck out, got walked or fell asleep!

• K – Strikeout
• Backwards K (I can’t actually do that on my keyboard, but you can do one with your pencil!) – means that the batter didn’t swing, sometimes called a looking strikeout
• BB – walked (stands for base on balls)
• 1B – is a single
• 2B – is a double
• 3B – is a triple
• HB – is a soft pencil good for drawing
• HR – is a home run
• F – is a fly out
• DP – is double play

Did you spot the odd one out? Good, it shows that you’re paying attention!

Okay, if you’ve read, learned and remembered all of the above then you’re ready for the wonderful game of baseball to begin. You’ll need your card in one hand, your hot dog in the other and a pencil behind your ear, but remember to eat the hot dog (especially if it’s smothered in mustard) and write with the pencil, and never but a hot dog behind your ear. I bet you didn’t know it was going to be so complicated did you?

Time To Score the Baseball Game

There’s a row of squares with diamonds inside them alongside each players name. If a player hits a single you simply refer to the baseball code and write a 1B outside the diamond, darkening the line a little between the home plate to first base. If he gets to second base, darken the line to that one too, until he gets all the way home. If he scores then you can color in the diamond completely to signify it. 

If the batter, however, strikes out you simply put the letter K into the center of the diamond. If he was the first to go then put a #1 in a circle, then use #2 and #3 etc as the game progresses.

If a batter hits the ball and makes an out then you might want to know what happened, step by step. Well, I’ll tell you:

Let’s imagine that player 2 hit a grounder for the pitcher, the pitcher fields and throws it to first base, then you would record the “out” by writing a simple “1-3″ across the diamond, quick translation – the pitcher fielded the ball and then threw it getting player 2 out.

What about double plays, how are they recorded.

Okay, try to stay with me because it might sound complicated, but it’s one of those things that you’ll get to grips with once you’ve read it through a few times or watched somebody else do it.

Let’s go back to our player #2 hitting  single (remember the 1B), then player #3 is up who hits a grounder at the short stop. The shortstop then throws the ball to second and player #2 is out, and the player on second base throws it to first and player #3 is out as well.  Well, player #2 got out halfway between first and second, so you can simply darken halfway along that line and write a #3 next to the darkened line (it’s because of #3 that #2 is out). That’s along the line of #2 player anyway. Along the #3 players line you’ll write 6-4-3 which indicates the sequence of fielding and a DP next to his diamond (Double Play), oh, and you’ll need to remember to put a #2 in a circle to indicate that he was the second player out.

Confused? Read it again and it will all become clear . . . maybe.

Anyway, once you’ve had a bit of practice (you’ll really have to pay attention and concentrate for the first few times) you’ll start to develop your very own baseball shorthand for the score, but those few tips should get you started on the right track.

Okay, so his scorecard is a little different to ours, but you get the general idea. He’s very good isn’t he, a little slow maybe but very good . . .

That’s a posh scorebook isn’t it? I told you that they were all different!

Thanks guys. Everything is becoming clear now! You see, everybody has their own little ways of doing things.

Come on, get to the point blah blah blah . . . at last, thanks for that.