Scorekeeping 101

Scorekeeping 101 Pearland Little League 2012 Erik Brown

Introduction • Erik Brown, President, Pearland Little League • PLL Player Agent, 2011 • Asst. Sr. Minor Director, 2010-11 • Managed Minors 2006, ITB (inaugural year) 2008, TB 2009 • Assistant Coach TB 2010, 2010 District 15 Teeball Champions • Raised near Meridian, MS (junction of I-59 and I-20 in east Mississippi) • Graduated Mississippi State Univ, B.S. in Computer Engineering, 2001 • Employed by ExxonMobil Global Services Co. since 2002. • Living in Pearland since 2003 • Wife, Mary, and 3 sons, Eli (8), Hayden (5), and Jack (5) • Team statistician for Meridian Community College Baseball, 1996-1998 • Served under Head Coach Scott Berry (currently, Univ. of Southern Miss HC) • MCC Ranked #1 in final poll, 1997 • MCC Finished #5 in Junior College World Series, 1998 • Contemporaries with MLB players Jason Smith (ret. INF, HOU), Paul Phillips (C, MIL), Bill White (ret. LHP, TEX) and Cliff Lee (LHP, PHI)

Agenda • What is Scorekeeping & Why do it? (5 min) • What is YOUR role with Scorekeeping? • How do I do it? (50 min) • Prepare the game book • How to annotate the game • Where you get involved (or DON’T)

What is Scorekeeping? • Rule 10 of baseball defines the parameters for scorekeeping of games, to keep a record of the events that transpire during the game • Broadly, scorekeeping is the official tracking of the score of the game, however there is a lot more to it.

Why Keep Score? • To know what is happening at any point in a ballgame, so that if the game is suspended, it can be taken up at that point. • To ensure that play requirements are met • To determine Win, Loss, and Tie • To resolve conflicts when requested by the Head Umpire.

What is YOUR Role as Scorekeeper? • To keep the record of the game to the BEST of your knowledge and experience and effort. • To judge HITS, ERRORS and assign credit for each to the appropriate party • To keep track of the accurate score of the game to determine Wins and Losses.

Well, How Do I Do It? • Become familiar with the scoresheet • Become familiar with the scoring box • Become familiar with the symbols • WARNING: Scoring Games will change the way you see the game. You might even like it.

The Scoresheet

Scoresheet Features Starters’ Names Substitute’s Names Scoring Boxes

The Scoring Box Balls Runner Tracking (trace the line as the runner advances) Strikes Inning Start How the Batter Reached Base Substitution Pitching Change Runs Batted In Outs

Scoring Symbols Baseball Positions 1 = Pitcher 2 = Catcher 3 = First Baseman 4 = Second Baseman 5 = Third Baseman 6 = Shortstop 7 = Left Field 8 = Center Field 9 = Right Field 10 = “Rover”

Scoring Symbols • 1B • 2B • 3B • HR • E# • FC • BB • HBP • CI • Single • Double • Triple • Home Run • Error Charged to Position # • Fielder’s Choice • Base on Balls • Hit by Pitch • Catcher’s Interference

Scoring Symbols • SB • WP • PB • Int • Balk • SF • SAC • K • U • DP • F, L, P • CS • Stolen Base • Wild Pitch • Passed Ball • Interference • Balk • Sacrifice Fly • Sacrifice Bunt • Strike Out • Unassisted Out • Double Play • Fly Out, Line Out, Pop Out • Caught Stealing

A Quick Note: Ordinary Effort • Ordinary effort is where your knowledge and experience come into play – and where you get to participate in the game through the scorebook. • Ordinary, reasonable effort means that we do not penalize a player for giving maximum effort. • Example 1: A surprise bunt that the third baseman doesn’t cleanly field because he’s rushing to make the play can be called a “hit” if the runner would have likely beaten the throw anyway. • Example 2: A hard-hit ball that takes a “bad hop” and the SS mishandles or misses would be a “hit” if the runner would still beat the throw once the SS recovers the ball. • This doesn’t mean that we do not penalize a player for misplaying a ball and then giving maximum effort to make up for the effort. • Example 3: The third baseman doesn’t realize the bunt is down before reacting, and while he still has time to make the out, he rushes to the ball and fails to cleanly field it and the runner is safe at first • Example 4: The SS attempts to make a routine play look flashy and fails to cleanly field the ball. He recovers and makes a hard throw to narrowly miss getting the out.

Getting on Base • Single – sym “1B” – the batter gets to first by striking the ball within fair territory and defense is unable to cleanly tag or force out the batter-runner using ordinary effort • Double– sym “2B” – the batter is able to reach second base before the defense can cleanly field and tag the batter-runner with ordinary effort. Also, a ball that bounces once in fair territory and over the fence. Known as a “Ground Rule Double.”NOTE: a cleanly-fielded throw to third that allows the batter-runner to advance to second is a single with the runner advancing on the throw. • Triple – sym “3B” – the batter is able to reach third base before the defense can cleanly field and tag the batter-runner with ordinary effort. • Home Run – sym “HR” – the batter is able to reach home plate before the defense can cleanly field and tag the batter-runner with ordinary effort. Also, a ball hit over the fence.

Getting on Base • Error – sym “E#” – a runner safely advances due to a ball being misplayed by the defense under ordinary effort.NOTE: can be a the result of a hit or thrown ball • Fielder’s Choice – sym “FC” – a batter who would otherwise be put out on a ball in play safely reaches base due to the defense choosing to make an out at another base. • Base on Balls – sym “BB” – a.k.a. “Walk” - a batter receives 4 pitches outside the strike zone before 3 strikes or a struck ball is put into play • Hit by Pitch – sym “HBP” – a batter in the batter’s box is struck by a legally thrown pitch • Catcher’s Interference – sym “CI” – a batter makes contact with a part of the catcher or catcher’s equipment in the act of attempting to put the ball in play. This is called by the umpire. The runner is automatically granted first base.

Runners, Advancing • Advance on batter (hit, error, FC)NOTE: I recommend simply putting the number of the hitter who advances the runner above the line • Advance on throwNOTE: I usually put a “+” or a “t” above the advancing runner to show a throw caused the advance • Stolen Base – sym “SB” – With or after a pitch, a runner successfully advances to the next base without a ball put in play by the hitter. • Passed Ball/Wild Pitch – sym “PB”, “WP” • PB – a pitched ball that the catcher, with ordinary effort, misplays • WP – a pitched ball that is beyond the ordinary effort of a catcher to catch (always a WP if the catcher misses due to a pitch that hits the ground) • Error – sym “E#” – the runner is allowed to advance because of a throw or mishandled ball.

Runners, Advancing • Balk – sym “BALK” – any attempt by the pitcher to deceive a runner to gain an advantage against stealing or making an out will be called a BALK by the umpire. All runners advance.NOTE: only applies to “open base” leagues, such as Junior Division (Sr. Minor) and Senior Division • Interference – sym “Int” – any attempt by the defense to delay or stall a runner from advancing bases that is called by the umpire. May be “delayed-dead” or “dead-ball”, will be signified by the umpire calling time and assigning bases. Assign as an ERROR to the player causing the Interference. • Sacrifice Bunt – sym “SAC” – any play where all baserunners are able to successfully advance because the hitter bunts the ball and is put out at first base. If any advancing runners are put out, it is scored as an FC for the hitter.NOTE: if the defense fails to putout an advancing baserunner, this is still a SAC for the hitterNOTE (2): symbol SAC due to Stolen Base being “SB” • Sacrifice Fly – sym “SF” – any play where the runner at third is able to successfully advance to home due to a fly ball from the batter. If the runner from third is put out, then it is an “OUT”

Getting them OUT • Strikeout – sym “K” – record an out for a batter who receives called 3 strikes before being struck by a pitch or receiving 4 balls.NOTE: a swinging strike is a “K” or “KS” – Strikeout SwingingNOTE(2): a called strike is a “ ” or “KC” – Strikeout Called • Put-outs • Assisted: record every player who touches the ball in making an outExample: 6-3 or 7-5-2 or 1-3-6-1 • Unassisted – sym “#U” – a player who makes an out by himselfExample: a ground-out to the first baseman is a “3U” • Fly, Line, and Pop Outs • Fly Out – sym “F#” – a ball hit in the air, usually to the outfield, and caught • Line Out – sym “L#” – a hard hit ball in the air that is caught by an infielder or outfielder • Pop Out – sym “P#” – a softly hit ball that is caught by an infielder NOTE: Fly Out is always acceptable NOTE(2): Remember “ordinary effort” for fly balls. You have to judge if he really had a chance to catch the ball

Getting them OUT • Put-Outs • Double- and Triple-Plays – sym “DP”, “TP”– making 2 or 3 outs on the same play • Example: DP6-4-3 (with runner on 1stbase, the hitter grounds to the shortstop, who throws to the second baseman on second base who throws to the first baseman) • Example: TP5U-4-3 (with runners on 1stand 2nd, a hard ground ball is hit to the third baseman, who steps on third, throws to the second baseman on second base, who throws to the first baseman) • Example: TP L6U (with runners on a 1st and 2nd, a line drive is caught by the SS, who steps on second and then tags the retreating runner from first) • Interference Outs • A runner who interferes with a defender while they are making a play on the ball is ruled out. Assign an “unassisted out” to the nearest defender.Example: a runner is struck with a batted ball before it gets to the second baseman. Runner is out, score 4U on the putoutExample (2): on a passed ball, the batter steps in front of the pitcher waiting on a throw from the catcher, as a result, the pitcher misplays the throw and the runner is safe. The umpire will rule the runner out on batter interference, the run will not count, score 1U for the putout. • Caught Stealing – sym “CS” – A runner is putout on a throw during an attempt to advance without the ball being put in play by the batter.

Scoring Runs • A runner who touches 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Home in sequence before 3 outs are made in a half-inning will be credited with a “Run Scored” • If the inning ends on a Force Play, any runs that cross the plate on the same play do not count. • Complicated situation: if a ball is caught in the outfield for Out #2 and the runner from third scores before the runner from second is put-out (Out #3) for failing to tag-up, the run scores. The tag-up is not a force, although the method for getting the out is the same.

Advanced Concepts • Earned Runs • Batting out of turn • Pitching changes • Appeals • Pitch Counts

Tips • It is normal to be confused on particular plays. Score the play to the best of your knowledge, and write down what happened to the best of your ability on a notepad or in the side of the sheet, continue scoring the inning, and then get some help to sort out what happened between half-innings.NOTE: If we were perfect at this, we’d get paid to do it, and we wouldn’t do it here. • Always watch the ENTIRE play before scoring what happens. If you look away at the wrong time, a crucial piece of information may get lost. Train yourself to remember how the play goes down, then translate it into the code for the scoresheet. • At most, you will impact 4 boxes on any play, but there’s only 1 baseball. Follow the baseball and the rest will take care of itself.

Tips • Always use “facing sheets” in a scorebook. This way you can flip between sides by turning the book over, not flipping pages, which can be time-consuming by comparison. Some people like to use one sheet, front and back – however, the book is designed to be flat and viewed all at once. • Always use a pencil. I prefer a mechanical pencil because I hate sharpening the traditional kind. Either way, bring erasers. You’ll need them. • You are a passive observer recording the game, therefore, unless you are specifically asked by the home plate umpire, you cannot indicate: • Batting out of turn • Missed bases • The current count • (the proper procedure is for the manager to call time, discuss with the umpire, then the umpire will defer to you for the correct information)

Your turn • MLB - Phillies @ Braves • Top half of Innings 1 and 2 • Score the innings to the best of your ability and we can discuss

Scorekeeping 101