How to Keep a Scorecard for a Baseball Game

In baseball, scorecards are used to record individual statistics and to keep a running, pitch-by-pitch account of a game. Whether it is a fan watching a major league baseball game or a parent coaching a little league team, scorecards are kept at every level. To keep an accurate scorecard, one must pay attention to everything going on in the game. While it is not as hard as some may think, there is a specific format and code to follow.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Fill in the names of the player in the game, in order of what position they will bat in the lineup. Keep a space in between each name so there is room to add the substitution of a player.

2. Pay attention to the pitches that are thrown in each at bat. Mark whether each pitch was a ball or a strike. Some scorecards have little box to check; if yours does not, mark a dot to represent a ball, and an X to represent a strike.

3. Mark down what the result of each at-bat.. If the player walks, write a "BB" in the center of the baseball diamond. Highlight the base line from home plate to first base next to the player name in the appropriate column for the current inning.

4. Mark down a "K" in the center of the diamond if the batter struck out. If the player gets hit with the ball, mark down "HBP" in the center and highlight the first base line.

5. Make the proper mark to represent a successful hit. Mark either 1B, 2B, 3B, or HR depending on what kind of hit the batter completes. Highlight the base paths to represent how far the batter advanced.

6. Mark down the number of the defensive position to indicate how a batter was thrown out. Mark each player the touches the ball as a part of the play. By position, pitcher is 1, catcher is 2, first baseman is 3, second baseman is 4, shortstop is 6, third baseman is 5, and the outfield from left to right is 7,8 and 9.

7. Record the defensive play by marking the sequence of action. For example, if the batter grounds out to the shortstop, the play would be marked: 6-3. This means the shortstop touched the ball first and threw to the first baseman for the out.

8. Mark down the defensive action of only one player by writing the position number and "PO" for "put out." For example, if the batter flew out to the left fielder, the play would be marked: 7 PO.

9. Identify if a batter reaches base because of an error by the defense. If this occurs mark "E" to represent an error, and the position number. For example, if a player reached base because of an error on the third baseman, the play would be marked: E5.

10. Mark down a run scoring by highlighting the base path of the runner who scored all the way around the bases. Write "RBI" in the box of the player who caused the run to score by getting a hit.

11. Write down the number of runs scored, hits and runners left on base (LOB) at the end of each inning in the box provided at the bottom of the inning column.

12. Tally up the final score by adding the runs of each team by inning.

Resources

• Baseball Scorecard

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