Recording At-Bats on How to Score Baseball

Hits

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hits#

A hit is the most fundamental positive outcome in baseball. The batter put the ball in play, the defense couldn’t retire them, and they’ve reached base safely with no error involved. Hits come in four varieties depending on how far the batter advances, and each has its own notation.

The Four Hit Types#

Single (1B)#

The batter reaches first base on a fair ball. Write 1B in the cell (some scorekeepers just draw the line to first without any abbreviation — both are fine).

Ground Outs

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ground Outs#

The ground out is the most common play in baseball. Batter hits a grounder, an infielder scoops it up, throws to first, and the batter is out. It happens dozens of times per game, so you’ll want this notation in your muscle memory fast.

The Notation#

A ground out is written as the fielder numbers separated by dashes, in the order the ball was handled:

6-3 — Shortstop fielded, threw to first baseman.

Fly Outs

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Fly Outs#

Not every out is a grounder. When a batter hits the ball in the air and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground, it’s a fly out — and the notation tells you both what kind of fly ball it was and who caught it.

The Notation#

Fly ball outs use a letter prefix followed by the fielder’s number:

F — fly ball (a routine fly out)
L — line drive caught on the fly
FF — foul fly (a pop-up caught in foul territory)
P or IF — infield pop-up (some scorekeepers use this instead of F for short pop-ups)

Examples:

Strikeouts

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Strikeouts#

The strikeout is baseball’s most symbolic out. Three strikes and you’re done — but how you got there matters enough to record differently depending on whether the batter went down swinging or stood there watching strike three go past.

K and Kc#

K is the universal symbol for a strikeout. It dates to the 1860s, when Henry Chadwick (the father of baseball statistics) chose K because “struck” — the root of “strikeout” — ends in K. S was already taken for sacrifice.

Walks and Hit by Pitch

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Walks and Hit by Pitch#

Three different outcomes, one common result: the batter takes first base. Walks and hit by pitches are all counted as times on base and count against the pitcher’s totals, but they’re recorded distinctly because they got there by different means.

BB — Base on Balls (Walk)#

Four balls before a third strike, and the batter walks to first. Write BB in the cell.

On the mini diamond, draw a line from home plate to first base — the same as a single. The batter is on base, the pitch count was 4-0 (or some count that reached four balls), and the pitcher fell behind badly enough that the batter never had to swing.

Errors

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Errors#

An error is the official scorer’s judgment that a fielder failed to make a play they should have made with ordinary effort — and that failure allowed the batter or a runner to reach base (or advance) when they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Write E followed by the fielder’s number:

E6 — error by the shortstop
E4 — error by the second baseman
E8 — error by the center fielder
E1 — error by the pitcher (usually a failed fielding play, not a pitch)

What Counts as an Error#

The official scoring rules are clear on the principle but require judgment in practice: a fielder commits an error when they misplay a ball that a fielder in that position, with ordinary effort, would have handled successfully.

Double Plays

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Double Plays#

Two outs on one batted ball. The defense executes perfectly, the innings ticks along twice as fast, and the pitcher pumps their fist. The double play is one of baseball’s most satisfying sequences — and one of the more interesting things to record on a scorecard.

The Notation#

A double play is recorded as the fielding sequence (the chain of players who touched the ball) with a DP suffix or simply by the nature of the sequence itself.

Sacrifices

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sacrifices#

A sacrifice is an out that was worth making. The batter gave themselves up — intentionally or by circumstance — to advance a runner. In return, the rules reward them by not counting it as an at-bat, which protects their batting average.

There are two types: the sacrifice bunt and the sacrifice fly.

SAC — Sacrifice Bunt#

The batter bunts the ball, is retired at first base, but advances one or more runners. Write SAC (or SH for sacrifice hit — both are used) in the cell, followed by the fielding sequence.

Fielder's Choice

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Fielder’s Choice#

A fielder’s choice happens when the batter hits a ball in play, reaches base, but doesn’t get credit for a hit — because the defense chose to retire a different runner instead of throwing to first.

Write FC followed by the fielding sequence:

FC 6-4 — shortstop fielded the grounder and threw to second to retire the lead runner; batter reached first
FC 5-4 — third baseman threw to second; batter safe at first
FC 1-6 — pitcher fielded it, threw to shortstop covering second

What Qualifies as a Fielder’s Choice#

The defining feature: the defense had a play on the batter at first, but instead made a play on another runner. The batter ends up on first base, alive, but with no hit credited.