Mark a Baseball Scorecard

Keeping score can be a great way to stay involved in the game. It is also a useful skill to have if you are on a baseball team, as it allows you to keep better track of stats, trends, and performance of players on your team. Though "keeping the book" may seem a bit daunting at first, it's really quite simple.

Steps

1. Acquire a scorecard. Most higher-level Make a Model of a Baseball Stadium sell them, either on their own or along with a program of some sort. If you're unsure of the availability at the stadium you'll be going to, with a quick online search you can easily find baseball scorecards to print out and take with you to the game.
2. Fill out the scorecard with the necessary circumstances of the game. This may include, but is not limited to, the teams playing, the lineup, the umpires, the field, the start time, and the Coach an Athlete.
3. Write each player's jersey number, name, and position number in the slot, with one player per two or three slots (or one per "big square"). For help with the position numbers, see the "Player information" table below.
   • If someone has a designated hitter, write the DH in the first slot and the position player in the second slot.
   • If needed/desired, write the Discipline Players when Coaching on the bottom of the scorecard, with one for every slot. This is only if you have trouble remembering who else is on the team in case they come in for a substitution. There is no need to write their position, as they are not yet in the game.
4. Keep track of balls and strikes in the given grid. Balls are kept in the row with three squares and strikes in the row with 2.
   • You can use checks, slashes, X's, numbers, or whatever you're comfortable with. Some people use different slashes and X's to indicate whether the batter swung or made contact, while others use numbers to indicate in what order the pitches were thrown. This is especially useful as it allows others to see the evolution of the at bat.
   • If a foul ball is hit with two strikes, simply make a dot (or number, depending on your style) extending from the row of strikes. Continue this as needed.
5. Note the outcome of the at bat using both abbreviations and markings on the small diamond.
   • If the batter is out, feel free to write the outcome in big letters over the diamond and be sure to mark (in the bottom right corner of the box) what number out they are of the inning (i.e., 1, 2, or 3). See the table below on "Ways of Making an Out" for the standard abbreviations.
   • For double and triple plays be sure to mark the outs in the order that they happened in the small box in the lower right hand corner.
   • If the batter gets on base first, draw straight lines on the small diamond indicating the path of the batter. On the side of the last line, write one of these abbreviations in small letters next to it.
   • Put asterisks (*) or exclamation points (!) whenever a fielder makes a spectacular play.
   • Some people like to draw where the ball is hit for greater accuracy. They usually draw a line originating from home plate to the spot where the ball is hit, with a solid line for a ball in the air or a dashed line for a ball on the ground.
   • If, during any point after the ball is put in play, a runner scores, then mark down how many RBI's the batsman gets in the space provided. If none is provided, write it under the diamond.
   • Track the progress of the runners using a similar set of abbreviations and lines indicating the runner's progress and how that progress occurred (i.e., if the runner moves from first to third on a single draw a line from first to second and second to third and write 1B in the upper left hand corner).
   • Whenever a runner scores, shade in their diamond for easier reference.
6. At the end of an inning, mark the necessary Calculate Major Pitching Statistics in Baseball in the boxes provided underneath the column.
   • If a team hits around the order, simply give multiple columns to that inning and rewrite the numbers accordingly.
   • You can keep track of writing the number of pitches thrown that inning by writing it to the left of the inning number. You can keep track of the total pitches thrown by writing it to the right of the inning number.
7. When a player is substituted in, write their name, number, and position below the player that they went in for and draw a vertical line in between the innings that it happened. Also fill in the innings box in the space on the right.
   • If there is a change in pitching, draw a horizontal line between the last batter of the old pitcher and the first one of the new pitcher. Also write the new pitcher's name in the box on the bottom.
   • If a player changes position, draw a vertical dotted line between the innings that it occurred.
8. At the end of the game, feel free to tally batting statistics and pitching statistics in the spaces provided for a good representation of the game.

Scorecard Abbreviations

Player Information

Position Numbers

Position	Number
Pitcher	1
Catcher	2
First Baseman	3
Second Baseman	4
Third Baseman	5
Shortstop	6
Left Fielder	7
Center Fielder	8
Right Fielder	9
Designated Hitter	DH

Ways of Making an Out

Out Abbreviations

Result	Abbreviation	Example Result	Example Abbreviation
Strikeout swinging	K	Swing and a miss	K
Strikeout looking	Backwards K	Called third strike	Backwards K
Groundout	The number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it	Shortstop fields it and throws to the First Baseman	6-3
Flyout	The number of the player who caught it	Center Fielder catches it	8
Lineout	L followed by the number of the player who caught it	2nd Baseman catches it	L4
Unassisted Play	The number of the player who made the play followed by U	Pitcher fields it and tags the runner (or the base)	1U
Caught Foul Ball	F followed by the number of the player who caught it	Third Baseman catches it in foul territory	F5
Sacrifice Fly	SF followed by the number of the player who caught it	Left Fielder catches it	SF7
Sacrifice Bunt	SB followed by the number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it	Catcher fields it and throws to the First Baseman	SB2-3
Double Play:
For the runner:	The number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it	Shortstop fields it and throws it to the Second Baseman	6-4
For the batter:	The same as the runner, but add in the player who catches the ball next followed by DP	Shortstop fields it and throws it to the Second Baseman who throws it to the First Baseman	6-4-3 DP

Tracking Hits

Hitting Abbreviations

Result	Abbreviation	Example Result	Example Abbreviation
Single	1B
Double	2B
Triple	3B
Home Run	HR
Hit By Pitch	HP or HBP
Walk	BB
Error	E followed by the number of the player who committed the error	The shortstop bobbles the ball and throws it away	E6
Fielder's Choice	FC	With a runner on first, a grounder is hit to the second baseman who only gets the lead runner out (the fielder has made a choice not to try to get the batsman out).	FC
Dropped Third Strike	K

Tracking Baserunning

Running Abbreviations

Result	Abbreviation	Example Result	Example Abbreviation
Stolen Base	SB
Caught Stealing	CS	Thrown out by the catcher while attempting to steal	CS
Picked Off	PIK	Picked off by the pitcher	PIK

Tips

• Not all scorecards include places to keep track of balls and strikes.
• Practice keeping score of games you watch on T.V. to help you get accustomed to keeping up with games.

Related Articles

• Enjoy Watching Baseball Games
• Get the Baseball Cards You Want
• Calculate WHIP (Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched)
• Hit a Baseball
• Block a Baseball
• Play Right Fielder in Baseball

See also

• Calculate WHIP (Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched)
• Get an Autograph at a Baseball Game
• Enjoy a Baseball Game when You Don't Like Baseball

What links here

• Enjoy a Baseball Game when You Don't Like Baseball