Baseball Scorekeeping For Beginners-Part 3-Anatomy of a Scorecard

Whether you purchase your scorecard at the ballpark, buy a scorebook, or print scorecards on your computer, the general layout of a scorecard is basically the same. First is a column for the team's line-up.There will invariably be spaces for the names and positions of the team's players, although some scorecards will also include spaces for players' uniform numbers and when they entered the game. There will also be columns for each inning to chart each batter's plate appearance in that inning. Going across, there are rows to chart the batters' plate appearance for the game. At the bottom of each column will be space to tabulate the number of hits and runs for that inning, although some will also include space for opponents' errors committed and runners left on base. Some scorecards even have space to tabulate these totals not only for that inning, but also a running total. Most scorecards will also have space for tabulating batting and pitching summaries. We'll discuss a sample of scoring in the next blog.