Scoring A Ground Out
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.
T
he scorekeeping entry to the right 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.
Scoring Pitches is discussed elsewhere on this site.
Ground Ball Out - Unassisted
When only one defensive player is involved in an out, it is referred to as an “unassisted” out.
In the example to the right, the second batter of the inning, Adams, hit a ground ball to the first baseman on a (1 ball 0 strikes count). The first baseman also tagged first base for the second out in the inning.
This unassisted out is recorded with the number “3″, which represents the first baseman, followed by a “U” representing “Unassisted”.
Notice the “2″ circled in the upper right hand corner of Adams’ cell. It represents the second out of the inning.
