How To Score A Ground Out On A Baseball Scorecard

In order to score a ground out on a baseball scorecard you need to know the number assigned to each defensive position. This numerical assignment is an essential basics to learning how to score baseball.

Most ground ball outs involve more than one defensive player. The out is entered by recording each defensive player in the sequential order in which they handled the ball.
The outs are entered into the hitter’s cell for the inning in which they batted. The out is recorded using the Defensive Position Numbers of the fielders involved.

The entry into the baseball scorecard above illustrates the ground ball out of the First Baseman, Jones in the First Inning. He hit a ground ball to the third baseman who caught it and threw the ball to the first baseman for the first out of the inning.

It is recorded in the scorebook as a “5-3″ ground out; where “5″ represents the third baseman catching the ground ball and “3″ represents the first baseman catching the throw from the third baseman for the out (notice the sequence of the play is repeated in the scoring).

The number “1″ with a circle around it is used to help keep track of the number of outs in an inning. This is a good habit to get into!

The boxes in the upper left hand corner of each cell represents balls and strikes. You can keep track of the batter’s count and count the number of pitchers by entering a dot after each pitch. The top three squares are to track balls, the bottom two for strikes. The ball that is hit in play is not recorded.

Going to the Ballpark With My Baseball Scorecard

I don't really care whether we win or lose, but it's always nicer if we win. The walk back to my car after a winning game is a lot more fun. When we lose, just about everyone is down in the dumps, and it's hard to engage any fans in conversation after a loss.

What I like about going to an Orioles game is being at the ballpark. I look forward to buying my peanuts, sodas, and other munchies for the game from the outside vendors. Outside the ballpark you can get a soda for one or two bucks, but inside you're looking at four bucks for a soft drink.

Same thing with peanuts. Outside you'll spend a couple of bucks. Inside, a small bag will cost you three bucks or more. It's not that I can't afford the extra money inside. But I know the vendors outside the park are trying to make a living and working hard. I usually buy from the same people each time.

I'm one of those baseball score-keeping fans. I used to pay $5 or so for a program, but Outside Pitch sells their newsletter outside the ballpark for only $2, and that includes a stapled-in scorecard and a pencil. I regularly buy the newsletter for the articles, but I don't like their baseball scorecard, so I print out a few before I leave for the ballpark and use my own.

After the ballgame I look forward to a couple of musicians who always play outside the game. Yes, they're looking for some money ... the hat is always out front when they're playing. The trumpet player, though, is good enough that I'll stand and watch/listen to him play for ten minutes before I walk away. Both my son and I generally add a buck or so to the pile in the hat.

We used to have a drummer outside the park who played upbeat rhythms as we walked to our cars. I haven't seen him for about a year. I hope he's back this year. He was worth a buck or two for the entertainment. Instead of a drum set, he was using upturned plastic tubs. And he was good at it. He usually drew a crowd. Again, I hope he's back this year.

I also have a favorite place to park. It's a few blocks away, but by the time I get to my car, all the traffic is gone and I never have a wait in traffic (except maybe a wait to get out of the parking lot). Once I leave the lot, I'm home in 20 minutes (I live about 10 miles away).

Oh, yeah, I enjoy the game too. Keeping score of a baseball game means I don't worry so much whether we win or lose. I'm keeping score on my baseball scorecard. That's the important part of the game for me. I hope that there's more high numbers on the Orioles' side of the card. But just keeping score alone keeps me interested in the game, no matter what happens.

Hope to see you at the game.



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Where Can I Learn Baseball Scorekeeping Basics?

One of the important duties of a youth baseball coach is to educate the players about the game of baseball. Sure, you can teach them to hit and throw, but it really doesn't teach them about the strategies of baseball or baseball scorekeeping basics.

As a young kid I remember my dad teaching me how to score baseball while watching the Yankees games on TV. Learning how to score baseball opened me up to the complexity and strategies of baseball. By keeping score at a baseball game I was able to learn the tendencies of players, how they performed in clutch situations and recognize unique baseball situations.

Learning how to score baseball made me passionate for the game and it helped me to build cognitive abilities. It taught me to think ahead and exploring all options before making a decision. I took these learning experiences and applied them to every aspect of my life. I know that learning how to score baseball was the foundation for my professional successes.

Now I have two children and coach their youth baseball team. I challenged my kids and the players of the youth baseball team to learn more about baseball scorekeeping basics by going to the how to score baseball tutorial website, a site I created for the baseball youth of the world.

If you share my passion for the game of baseball and you want the complete guide on to keep score at a baseball game, the How to score baseball advanced edition is for you.

Things A Hitting Coach Needs To Know

A good batting average in the major leagues is 300 or above. What does it mean to hit 300? To hit 300, a hitter gets a hit 3 out of every 10 at bats. That also means a 300 hitter makes 7 outs for every 10 at bats. In other words, a 300 hitter fails more than twice the amount he is successful.

In what other sport can we consider 30 percent successful? If a quarterback completes 30 percent of his passes, he will not be starting. A basketball player shooting 30 percent from the foul line may not make it in the NBA. A goalie who stops only 30 percent of the goals will be looking for a new position. A coach who wins only 30 percent of his games will be fired. However, in hitting, 30 percent, or.300, is considered successful.

Successful hitting coaches need to understand that every hitter will fail more than they succeed, and they need to consistently relay this message to their players. Once a player realizes this reality, hitting will become much easier for them.

Good hitting coaches make sure that their players do not become agitated from making outs. Often times, we see players have a bad at bat, a strikeout with the bases loaded or a pop up in the infield, followed with a few errors in the field because they were still upset about their poor performance at the plate. As a coach, you cannot let your hitters compound one mistake with another. After a bad at bat, calmly sit down and analyze the previous at bat with your players. What did the pitcher throw in certain counts? Do your players feel weak today in a certain location? What is the plan next time? Coaches who ask these questions are now taking a proactive approach towards helping their players become successful the next time around.

Instead of analyzing hits and batting average, focus on Quality at Bats instead. A quality at bat could be ground ball to the right side that moves a runner over, a sacrifice bunt, a walk, a hard hit line drive to the shortstop, or even a strikeout in which the hitter fouled off numerous pitches just to stay alive. Focusing on quality at bat instead of batting average conveys a more positive message - that is, just because an out was made does not necessarily it was an unsuccessful at bat.



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