How to Read a Baseball Score

A baseball score is one of the most basic things that you will need to know if you want to be able to follow a game at a live event or on television. The most basic scorecard will have nine rows across the top and columns down the page. It will include the batting order of both teams, as well as the number of hits and runs scored in each inning. It will also have a running total of the teams’ runs, home runs, and error totals.

In the early 1900s, a more detailed scoring format was developed, with a separate “lineup” section for each pitcher, listing his innings pitched, earned run average, and strikeouts. Eventually, this was dropped in the interest of saving space, though many newspapers still carry it as a way to get the latest stats for local players.

As the runner advances, a perpendicular line should be drawn to indicate that he is heading to another base. The name of the base he is headed to should be written below it, and how he reached that base should be noted as well (for example, “1B” would be written for a single, or “FC” for fielder’s choice – for instance, when a shortstop throws the ball to first to force out the batter).

If a runner is put out, an X should be drawn over the line. The date of the game should be included at the bottom of the scorecard, along with other overall game information, such as the temperature, wind speed and direction, and a list of any sacrifice hits (“S”) or triple plays (“TP”) that occurred in the game.