Ron's Scorekeeping Weblog

My "Baseball Vacation"

2008-04-25T00:56:16Z

Last week, I used some vacation time to go see some Buffalo Bisons games. On Monday, the Bisons defeated the Toledo Mud Hens, 7-2 behind Aaron Herr's two-run homer in the 6th, followed by a Brad Snyder solo shot. Jordan Brown also contributed a two-run double in the third. Henry Mateo hit a two-run dinger in the 8th for the only Toledo tallies. The Bisons' success ended there, as they were swept by the Syracuse Chiefs to close out their first homestand of 2008. On Tuesday, the Bisons had a 5-3 lead after 4, but had only one hit the rest of the way in a 7-5 loss. Wednesday's game was a 4-2 loss, with Aaron Herr contributing a two-run double, one of only two hits by the Herd. Thursday brought a 9-7 loss, with Jason Cooper going 3-for-4 with a three-run blast in the 8th.
Monday and Tuesday's games were played in sunny, but cool weather. Thursday was by far the best day weather-wise, with temps in the high 60's. I can't wait to get to more games this season (and score them).

A Game I Scored

2008-04-05T03:27:03Z

I scored the Blue Jays-Yankees game on April 4, the final home opener at Yankee Stadium. I've uploaded the sheets I used for the game to show how I score a game. You'll notice that I like to keep score using colored pens. I use green for walks and hit by pitches, blue for base hits, red for strikeouts, and black for other plays. I also got the idea to score stolen bases based on what the pitch was called; green for a ball, and red for a strike.

Opening Day

2008-04-01T15:52:01Z

Well, Opening Day has come and gone, and I enjoyed LOTS of baseball. I got home about quarter after 3, and turned on the Brewers-Cubs game, which was delayed twice because of the weather in Chicago. Kosuke Fukudome had an impressive debut, going 3-for-3 and hitting a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't enough for my Cubs as they lost, 4-3 in 10 innings. I also followed the White Sox-Indians game and scored it. Paul Konerko OWNED C.C. Sabathia, hitting 2 home runs for a total of 4 RBI's. The Indians batted around in a 7-run 2nd inning and added 3 runs in the 8th to beat the Pale Hose, 10-8. I also watched the Halos-Twins game and scored that as well, Torii Hunter went 0-4 in his return to the Metrodome, receiving a standing ovation when he was introduced. I also used my MLB Gameday audio subscription to listen to the Cubs game, and also sampled Tom Hamilton doing the Tribe during the second rain delay in Chicago.I also listened to the Twins game on my computer. It's gonna be an exciting 2008 season.

Nats Open New Stadium with 3-2 Win.

2008-03-31T03:06:25Z

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to lead the Washington Nationals to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in the first official game played at Nationals Park. The Nats took an early 2-0 lead on a double by Nick Johnson, scoring Cristian Guzman, who had the first base hit at the new stadium with a single in the bottom of the first. Guzman advanced all the way to third on an error by Braves pitcher Tim Hudson. Austin Kearns followed with a double of his own, scoring Johnson. It would remain 2-0 until the 4th, when Chipper Jones hit the first home run at Nationals Park, a solo shot to center. Pinch runner Martin Prado tied the game in the top of the 9th on a passed ball by Paul Lo Duca, earning closer Jon Rauch a blown save in the process. Zimmerman would emerge as the hero this night with the first game-winning home run in the history of Nationals Park.
Nationals Park First:

First Pitch: Kelly Johnson hit a foul ball

First Out: Kelly Johnson struck out by Odalis Perez

First Walk: Yunel Escobar walked by Odalis Perez

First Hit: Cristian Guzman singled off Tim Hudson

First Extra-Base Hit: Nick Johnson singled off Tim Hudson

First Run: Guzman scored on Nick Johnson's double

First RBI: N. Johnson double scores C. Guzman

First Home run: Chipper Jones, to center field, top of 4th

First Nationals Home Run: Ryan Zimmerman to center field, 2 out, bottom of 9th inning

First Winning Pitcher: Jon Rauch (also recorded first blown save)

First Losing Pitcher: Peter Moylan

New Season.

2008-03-27T00:42:55Z

I watched the Opening Series games from Japan and scored both of them. Mark Ellis of the A's hit the first homer of '08, a solo shot in the bottom of the 1st inning of Tuesday's game. Hideki Okajima was Tuesday's winner, Huston Street had the loss, and Jonathan Papelbon had the first save of the new season. Emil Brown of the A's had a colossal brainfart in the 10th on Tuesday. He was credited with a double, but got a little too greedy and was thrown out at 3rd on a 9-4-3-5-6-3 play. He made up for that witha 3-run homer in the third on Wednesday. I'm getting ready for Sunday night, when the Nationals open their new ballpark against the Braves on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

I Know it's been a while...

2008-02-20T01:28:34Z

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but there just hasn't been too much to blog about. One cool thing that happened was that I got a nice scorebook for Christmas from my brother Tom, who shares my love for scorekeeping. I gave him a copy of Paul Dickson's The Joy of Keeping Score, which I highly recommended in a previous blog. He loved it.
Work has been slow since the Christmas season ended. Rarely a week goes by in which a truck isn't canceled, which has resulted in a loss of hours for me. I've also been attending Buffalo Bandits lacrosse games, which I've held season tickets to since 1993. On January 19th, John Tavares scored his 597th career goal, establishing a league record. he has scored every one of his goals in a Bandits uniform. Before you know it, Opening Day will be here. I can't wait.

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

2007-11-07T00:19:08Z

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.

Baseball Scorekeeping for Beginners-Part 2-Abbreviations and Symbols

2007-10-30T12:12:44Z

Here is a summary of abbreviations and symbols used by scorers. Feel free to improvise as you see fit.

A... (1) Assist. (2) Attendance at the game, as often appears in newspaper box scores.

AB... At Bat, or times a player has been At Bat.

AVG... Average stands for postgame batting average in box scores.

BB... Base on Balls. Some people prefer to use W for walk. Used to record a walk by a batter, the number of walks conceded by a pitcher, or the number of walks earned by a team in game summaries and box scores.

BI... [Runs] Batted In. Used mainly in box scores.

BK/Bk...Balk.

BS... Blown Save opportunity

BT/Bt... Bunt

CG... Complete Game. Increasingly rare.

CI... Catcher's Interference.

CS... Caught Stealing. Some people prefer OS for "Out Stealing"

D... Double.

DH... (1) Designated Hitter. (2) Doubleheader.

DI... Defensive Indifference. Used when the defense makes no attempt to retire a runner.

DL... Disabled List

DP... Double Play

E... (1) Reached base on an Error. In scoring, ET, or ETh can be used to denote a throwing error. (2) Used to record the number of errors committed by a team in box scores.

EB... Extra Bases made on hits by a player while at bat, computed as one for a double, two for a triple, and three for a home run.

EIG... Extra Inning Game.

ej... Ejected from game.

ER... Earned Runs allowed; used to record the number of earned runs conceded by a pitcher in pitching summaries.

ERA... Earned Run Average.

F... (1) Foul. (2) Fly. (3) Fly caught in fair territory to distinguish it from a flyout caught in foul territory.

FC... Fielder's Choice.

fF/f... Caught foul fly. Rarely seen today.

fFE... Dropped Foul Fly.

fSF... Foul Sacrifice Fly.

FO... Force-out.

G... Game

GA... Games Ahead

GB... Games Behind/Games Back.

GDP/GIDP... Grounded in Double Play.

GS... Games Started.

HB... Hit Batsman (or Hit by Ball).

HBP/HP... Hit by Pitch(er).

HR... Home Run.

I/INT... Interference.

IBB/IW... Intentional Walk.

IF/IFR... Infield Fly.

IP... Innings Pitched.

K... Strikeout.

backwards K/Kc/KL... Called Strikeout.

Ks... Struck out Swinging.

L... (1) Line Drive. (2)Loss (in pitching summaries) (3) Number of losses by a pitcher, as in W/L record.

LD... Line Drive.

LO/LOB/LB... (Runners) Left On Base.

LP... Losing Pitcher.

M... Muff of a fly ball.

NP... Number of pitched thrown.

Obs... Obstruction.

OF... Outfield.

OS... (1) Out Stealing, an alternative to the more common CS (Caught Stealing). (2) Official Scorer.

PB... Passed Ball.

PH... Pinch Hit(ter).

PK/Pk... Pickoff.

PO... Putout.

PR... Pinch Runner.

R... (1) Runs Scored in a box score. (2) Runs allowed in pitching summaries.

RBI... Run(s) batted in.

RS... Runner(s) Stranded... Some people use this when a batter leaves runners in scoring position.

S/SAC/Sac... Sacrifice.

SB... Stolen Base.

SF... Sacrifice Fly.

SH... Sacrifice Hit.

SHO... Shutout.

SO... Strikeouts. Used only to record the number of strikeouts recorded by a pitcher in pitching summaries and strikeouts by a batter in the player's summary.

SV... Save.

T... (1) Triple. (2) Time of game.

TB... Total Bases recorded by a team in a game.

TP... Triple Play.

U... Unassisted putout.

W... (1) Walk. (2) Wins, specifically, the number of games won by a pitcher. (3) Win (in pitching summaries).

WP... (1) Wild Pitch. (2) Winning Pitcher.

WT... Notation used when a defensive player makes a catch at the Warning Track.

In addition, you will need a code for hits. Any of the following will work:

- Single
= Double
Three lines- Triple
Four lines- Home Run

Also common is this simple scheme:

1B Single
2B Double
3B Triple
4B/HR Home Run

Remember, there's no right or wrong way to score a game, just YOUR way.

Baseball Scorekeeping for Beginners-Part 1

2007-10-30T01:55:40Z

Fans can enjoy a baseball game at the ballpark or on TV more by keeping score of the game. It's quite simple to do. First, obtain a scorecard. You can buy a scorecard at the ballpark or print them on your computer at home. Baseballscorecard.com is highly recommended for your scorecard needs, although Section216.com also has scorecards I highly recommend you download and print. You will need one sheet for each team. If you're attending in person, most parks will have the lineups posted in a prominent location. If you'll be watching on TV, go to MLB.com Gameday about 30 minutes to an hour before first pitch and copy the lineups to the respective scoresheets. It is also a good idea to print active rosters for all 30 Major League Baseball teams so that you can refer to them. The lineup column will invariably have spaces for each player's name and position, although some also include space for uniform numbers and inning when that player entered the game. One constant about scorekeeping is the numbering system for the players' positions:

1- Pitcher
2- Catcher
3- 1st Baseman
4- 2nd Baseman
5- 3rd Baseman
6- Shortstop
7- Left Fielder
8- Center Fielder
9- Right Fielder
DH- Designated Hitter (Games played in AL parks only)

Most scorecards will also have a separate column for pitchers involved in the game. When filling out a scorecard for one team, enter the name of the opposing team's pitcher in the pitching column. This will assist you in tabulating pitchers' statistics. Once you have filled out your scorecard, you're ready to keep a record of the game. My next entry will explain common scorekeeping symbols.