How to Keep Score in Baseball

If you're "scoring at home" or at the ballpark and the play "6-4-3" doesn't ring a bell, then follow these steps to enjoy America's national pastime even more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pencils
• Pencils
• Baseball Bats
• Baseball Batting Gloves
• Baseball Cleats
• Baseball Equipment Bags
• Baseball Fielding Gloves
• Baseball First Baseman Mitts
• Baseball Glove Conditioner Creams
• Baseball Helmets
• Baseball Scoresheets
• Baseballs
• Pencils
• Baseballs

1. Buy a score book (a book containing preprinted blank score sheets) or buy a program/scorecard at a professional baseball game or sporting goods store. Almost all of the books have diagrams explaining the official instructions for scoring a game.

2. Write the date, time and the teams playing on the top of the scorecard before the game begins.

3. Use the abbreviations "K" for strikeout and "BB" (base on balls) for walk. For hits, "1B" is a single (1-base hit), "2B" is a double (2-base hit), "3B" is a triple (3-base hit) and "HR" is a home run.

4. Understand that each position on the field follows an official numeric system in order to mark defensive putouts and assists. Pitchers are 1, catchers are 2, first basemen are 3, second basemen are 4, third basemen are 5, shortstops are 6, left fielders are 7, center fielders are 8, and right fielders are 9.

5. Keep it simple by marking the number of the player successfully executing a putout for balls hit in the air. For example, mark "7" for a fly out to left field.

6. Score ground outs by marking the numbers of the players making the assist and the putout. For example, mark "6-3" for a ground out that the shortstop throws to first base, or "6-4" if the shortstop throws to second base for a force out.

7. Mark the numbers of all the fielders involved in a double play. For example, mark "6-4-3" to note a double play started by the shortstop.

8. Use an even more abridged method of scoring if you're using statistics for a board game or computer game. Unless you wish to keep defensive statistics, mark an "X" for all outs other than strikeouts.

Tips & Warnings

• Modern score sheets include printed grids and diagrams. Numbers on the top of a common grid are the innings. The spaces on the left side of the grid are for players' names, positions and uniform numbers. The bottom spaces indicate the totals of each player's hits and runs scored.
• To keep score for souvenir purposes, you can make your own abridged scoring system by using a scorecard, a sheet of graph paper, or even a piece of lined notebook paper.

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[40skydiver]

on 3/7/2009 Good article. Thanks for the info.

on 8/21/2006 Baseball score sheets are two-sided. Write one of the teams on one side and the other team on the other side. That way when the half inning is over and the commercials come on, you can just flip the score sheet over and watch your favorite commercials.

on 6/30/2006 I put a straight line from home to wherever the ball is hit if it is a ground ball. I make a curved line if it was hit in the air. And for pop ups, I start at home and go to wherever they popped up. It looks like an upside down U.

I can tell with a quick glance who has hit the ball and where on either team, and let my players on offense know where the ball went the last time the batter was up to bat.

on 2/6/2006 If you want to get more advanced, you can use the boxes as little infield diamonds.

The bottom right corner is 1B, the top right is 2B, the top left is 3B, and the bottom left is Home Plate.

Basically, what you do is you record how a batter reaches a certain base by making the mark in the proper area.

For example, if a batter hits a ground ball single to right field, in the bottom right hand corner of the box (1B), you would write G9 (ground ball to right field), because that's how the batter reached first base.

In another example, let's say that a batter hits a line drive double over the center fielder's head. You would skip the bottom right corner (1B) and in the top right corner (2B), you would write L8 (line drive to center field, because that's how the batter reached second base.

Now let's say that you have a runner on base and he is advanced by another batter's hit. What you would do is, in the appropriate corner (1B, 2B, 3B, or HP) you would write the number (uniform number or batting position, your choice) of the player who got him there in the appropriate box.

OK, let's try one here.

The first batter walks. You would write BB in the lower right hand corner (1B).

The second batter singles on a line drive to right field and the runner advances to third. In the second batter's box you would write L9 in the bottom right corner (1B). In the first batter's box, you would write 2 in the top left corner (3B) because the second batter got him there.

The third batter hits a sacrifice fly, which scores the runner on third while the runner on first stays at first. In the third batter's box you would write SF (in the middle of the box, because he didn't reach any base). In the first batter's box you would write 3 in the lower left corner (Home Plate) because the third batter got him there. In the second batter's box you wouldn't write anything because he didn't advance at all.

This method is tricky, and it takes some practice. People who have scored a ballgame before probably know what I'm talking about, but first-timers are probably lost and should stick to the basics before trying advanced methods such as this.

on 11/22/2005 I color the whole box for a first pitch strike, or place a circle if the batter fouls it off. This way I keep track of a possible habit for future encounters.