Whoever said baseball is boring wasn’t keeping score.
Although tracking every strike, ball, walk, hit, double play, home run and stolen base can be mind-boggling, keeping track of the action with a scorecard is a great way to engage yourself in the game and elevate your baseball knowledge.
Want to know how many hits Todd Helton has blasted by the seventh-inning stretch? Check the scorecard. Puzzling over how many batters watched helplessly as Jeff Francis’ fastball whizzed past? It’s all right there.
You can buy a scorecard at the park for $1.50, or find one tucked into the Rockies Game Day Magazine, which will set you back $5. Once you’ve got a scorecard, here’s what to do with it.
STARTING OUT
Every scorecard has two sides, one for each team. Write down the players’ names in batting order in the spaces along the left. (Batting order is listed on the ballpark’s scoreboard.) Along the top of the card are the game’s innings. Beside each player’s name and inning are spaces to record the action.
Every player on the field has a number that corresponds to his position. Each time a batter comes to the plate, use the field position numbers and baseball shorthand to record what happens.
A SAMPLE INNING
FIRST BATTER: Hits a single to left field. On the scorecard, write or circle 1B to show that the batter hit a single, then draw a line around the diamond, from home plate to first base to record the batter’s progress. Write a 7 beside the diamond to indicate that the batter advanced with a hit to the No. 7 position, left field.
SECOND BATTER: Hits a flyball, which is caught by the center fielder. In the middle of the diamond, write 8F, to note a flyball to center field (the No. 8 position.) In a circle at the lower right of the diamond, write 1 to indicate the first out.
THIRD BATTER: Hits a groundball to the shortstop, who turns a double play. To record the double play, write 6-4-3 in the middle of the diamond to show that the shortstop (position No. 6) threw to second base (position No. 4) to tag out the runner; then second base threw to first base (No. 3) for another out. In the circle of the FIRST BATTER’S box, write a 2 to record the second out; then in the circle of the THIRD BATTER’S box, write a 3 to record the third out.
SECOND INNING: You can personalize your scorecard notes with your own shorthand. Some people draw a thick line from base-to-base to indicate a batter’s progress, others use arrows. Some people color in the diamond to indicate a home-run, or write “WW” in a batter’s box for “wasn’t watching.” Here are some other notations you need to know:
Backwards “K”: Struck out looking HBP: Hit by pitch
“K”: Struck out swinging FC: Fielder’s choice
