Reading the Scoresheet
This tutorial describes the notation used for all plays on the
scoresheet. With this type of scoresheet, all plate appearances are
assigned a unique code. After all of the plays are listed, there is
a summary of which appearances a pitcher was used for, so you can
see exactly which batters were faced by each pitcher.
Click here to view a sample
scoresheet. You may want to print this out to have on hand as you
review the notations.
Plate appearance codes
On the scoresheet, the plate appearances for each team are
lettered from A1 to A9, then B1 to B9, and so on. The letters
indicate which pass through the batting order this is (A is the
first time, B the second, etc.) and the numbers indicate the
batting order position. Thus, A4 is the cleanup hitter's first time
up and E8 is the 8th batter's fifth trip to the plate.
The pitcher summary at the end of the scoresheet shows the
appearance codes when the pitcher entered the game and when he left
the game. This section also shows the number of earned runs he
allowed.
The three parts of a play
On the scoresheet, the outcome of a play is divided into a
result, an explanation, and advances. There is always a result. If
there is an explanation, it appears after the result and starts
with a slash. If any runners advanced or were put out on the play,
this is shown after a period. If more than one runner advanced or
was put out, a semicolon separates the advances.
For example, the play 643/gdp.3-H;2-3 is interpreted as:
Part
|
Description
|
643
|
Result
|
/gdp
|
Explanation
|
3-H
|
Advancement of runner on 3rd
|
2-3
|
Advancement of runner on 2nd
|
New Innings
The n> symbol next to a play on the
scoresheet indicates that this is the first play of a new inning
with n being the number indicating what inning is
starting. Thus 8> indicates the start of the 8th inning, 5>
the start of the 5th inning, and so forth.
NOTE: In order to conserve
space, only the last digit of innings after the 9th inning (if
played) are displayed. Thus 4> would be used to indicate the
start of the 4th, 14th, and 24th innings.
Defensive Position Numbers
On the scoresheet, all defensive positions have a number that is
used to indicate which fielders handled the ball on any play where
an out is recorded:
#
|
Abbreviation
|
Position Number
|
1
|
p
|
Pitcher
|
2
|
c
|
Catcher
|
3
|
1b
|
First baseman
|
4
|
2b
|
Second baseman
|
5
|
3b
|
Third baseman
|
6
|
ss
|
Shortstop
|
7
|
lf
|
Left field
|
8
|
cf
|
Center field
|
9
|
rf
|
Right field
|
Hits
Hits are indicated by the following values:
Play
|
Description
|
S
|
Single
|
D
|
Double
|
T
|
Triple
|
HR
|
Home run
|
Fly Balls
On fly balls, popups, and line drives, only one fielder is
involved, so only the number of the player making the catch is
shown on the scoresheet. Explanations are added for sacrifice
flies, line drives, double plays, and triple plays.
Here are some examples:
Play
|
Description
|
7
|
Fly ball caught by the left fielder
|
3
|
Popup caught by the first baseman
|
8/SF.3-H
|
Sacrifice fly to center; runner scores from
third
|
4/L
|
Line drive to the second baseman
|
5/ldp
|
Line drive to the third baseman who catches it and
steps on the bag for a double play
|
53/ltp
|
Line drive to the third baseman who steps on third
for the second out and throws to first for the triple play
|
Ground Balls
On ground balls, there may be more than one fielder involved. In
this case, the number of each fielder is shown in the order they
touched the ball. Explanations are added for force plays, double
plays, and bunts.
For example:
Play
|
Description
|
53
|
Grounder fielded by the third baseman and thrown to
first for the out
|
64/f
|
Grounder fielded by the shortstop and thrown to
second for the force out
|
163/gdp
|
Grounder to the pitcher, thrown to the shortstop
first for a ground ball double play
|
43/gdp
|
Grounder to the second baseman, who steps on second
for the force and throws to first for the ground ball double
play
|
3/g
|
Grounder to the first baseman, who steps on the bag
for the out (Without the "g", this could be confused with a
popup)
|
16/b
|
Bunt to the pitcher, who throws to the shortstop
for the out at second
|
52.B-1
|
Grounder to the third baseman, who throws to the
catcher for the out at home while the batter takes first
|
Stealing
Steals are indicated by SB if successful, and CS if not,
followed by the base being stolen. When an out is made, the
fielders who made the play are shown in parenthesis.
Here are some examples:
Play
|
Description
|
SB2
|
Steal of second base
|
SBH;SB2
|
Double steal of home and second
|
CS3(25)
|
Caught stealing third; throw from the catcher to
the third baseman
|
Errors
An error can be the sole outcome of a play or an extension to
the result of a play:
Play
|
Description
|
e5.B-1
|
Grounder booted by the third baseman, and the
batter ends up at first
|
e6.B-2
|
Bad throw by the shortstop, and the batter ends up
at second
|
S.B-2(e7)
|
Single; the left fielder bobbles the ball, allowing
the batter to end up at second
|
SB2+e2(th).1-3
|
Runner steals second and takes third on a throwing
error by the catcher
|
Other Plays
This table shows other examples of the scoresheet notation:
Play
|
Description
|
FC.3-H;B-1
|
Fielder's choice; the runner on third goes home
while the batter takes first
|
54/SH.1-2
|
Sacrifice bunt to the third baseman, who throws to
the second baseman covering first while the runner on first goes to
second
|
PO1(13)
|
Runner picked off at first with the pitcher
throwing to the first baseman
|
k
|
Strikeout
|
k23
|
Strikeout; batter thrown out at first after the
dropped third strike
|
k+wp.B-1
|
Batter reaches first on a dropped third strike;
ruled a wild pitch
|
k+pb.B-1
|
Batter reaches first on a dropped third strike;
ruled a passed ball
|
W
|
Walk
|
IW
|
Intentional walk
|
HBP
|
Batter hit by pitch
|
wp.1-2
|
Wild pitch; runner on first goes to second
|
pb.2-3
|
Passed ball; runner on second goes to third
|
bk.1-2
|
Balk, runner goes to second
|
OA.1-2
|
Other base advance, such as a steal attempt on
which the defense concedes the base and the runner is not awarded a
steal
|
Advances
When a base runner advances, this is indicated on the scoresheet
after the period by the base the runner left, a dash, and the base
the runner reached. When a base runner is put out attempting to
reach a base, this is indicated by an X in place of the dash. The
fielders combining to make the out are shown in brackets.
Play
|
Description
|
S.3-H
|
Single; runner scores from third
|
S.1-3
|
Single; runner advances from first to third
|
S.2-3;1-2
|
Single; runners advance from second to third and
from first to second
|
S.2xH(92)
|
Single; runner on second is out trying to score on
a throw from the right fielder to the catcher
|
e6.B-2
|
Error by the shortstop; batter ends up on
second
|
|