Someone says “six-three,” and you’re still looking at a scoreboard that says 2–1. Baseball has a shorthand. A pencil and one inning are a pretty good way into it.
If you want to try baseball scorekeeping with your kid, give yourselves a small assignment: follow one team’s turn at bat. You can learn a few symbols, see how a play becomes a note on a page and decide whether you want another inning. Snacks can keep their place on the schedule.
Start with a small piece of the game
Use a paper scorecard if you already have one. For a practice version, a notebook works: list the batting order down the left and leave space beside each batter for a note. A standard scorebook puts the batting order in rows and the innings in columns.
Try this while watching a game together, at the field or on TV. A replay is handy when everybody saw the ball go somewhere and nobody quite agrees where. Keep this first attempt as your own practice record. If you’re volunteering as the team’s scorekeeper, get the team’s instructions and learn the league’s requirements separately.
Keep a little key beside the page
These fielding-position numbers come in handy:
1 Pitcher • 2 Catcher • 3 First base
4 Second base • 5 Third base • 6 Shortstop
7 Left field • 8 Center field • 9 Right field
The numbers identify positions, regardless of the jersey numbers. Start with a few play symbols, too: 1B for a single, 2B for a double, HR for a home run, BB for a walk and K for a strikeout.
Keep the key where both of you can see it. Nobody needs a pop quiz before the second inning.
Follow one play all the way through
Here’s that 6–3: the batter hits a ground ball to the shortstop, who throws to the first baseman to retire the batter at first. Write 6–3 in the batter’s space.
On a scorecard with a little diamond, a single can be marked 1B with a line from home to first. As that runner advances, continue the path around the diamond. Keep the note in that runner’s original box.
For fuller examples, Little League’s scorekeeping guide explains the positions, symbols and scorebook layout. MLB’s scorekeeping basics is another useful reference. Different scorekeepers use slightly different notation, so choose a simple system you can read back.
Give your kid a job they want
One person can watch the play while the other writes. Swap after a batter or two, or let your kid choose a single thing to track, such as the outs. Ask what they noticed before filling in the answer for them.
A sibling who likes the game might want a turn with the pencil. A sibling who would rather draw a dragon can keep drawing the dragon. This works best as an invitation.
Leave room for a question mark
Missed the play while finding a dropped pencil? Leave a question mark and move on. You can check an available replay or compare notes after the inning. An uncertain hit-or-error decision can stay uncertain on a beginner’s practice sheet.
When that team’s turn at bat ends, look over what you wrote. Can you tell each other how a batter reached base or how an out happened? That is a useful first page, even with a couple of blanks.
Continue if you’re enjoying it. Put the pencil down if you’re done. The next inning will provide plenty to watch either way.
For your next afternoon at the field, take a look at the Peffercorn Athletics Logo Tee for adults.
