Visual Baseball

A New Method for Scoring Baseball Games

Introduction

If you enjoy watching baseball games, then using a scoresheet can add an extra dimension to the game. Scoresheets enable you to look back at what happened in previous innings and previous at-bats, they allow you to keep various statistics if you desire, and so on.

If you sometimes watch baseball games with friends or loved ones, but you don't really care much for baseball, then using a scoresheet can make the game more interesting and enjoyable. It gives you something to do to pass the time, and you might find that suddenly you're the "expert" when people start checking with you to see what happened earlier in the game!

Try videotaping a baseball game on TV and then showing your kids how to use a scoresheet to keep track of the game. This is a clean and fun family activity to do together!

Many people have created some nice scoresheets (for lots of examples, see BaseballScorecard.com), but they are mostly variations on a standard method of scoring baseball. Visual Baseball is a different concept than most other scoresheets, and it provides more visual information "at a glance" than most other scoresheets (which is why it's called Visual Baseball).

This was created to be a fun family activity, and you might come up with your own improvements on the basic idea. The scoresheet is not copyrighted, so please feel free to enhance it in any way that suits you!

The Standard Numbering System

Visual Baseball follows the standard method of numbering the infield and outfield players:

Pitcher Catcher First Baseman Second Baseman Third Baseman Short Stop Left Fielder Center Fielder Right Fielder

This standard numbering system makes it quick and easy to mark various plays on any scoresheet. Later we'll see how these numbers are used in Visual Baseball.

Useful Abbreviations

Here are some abbreviations which are useful for any baseball scoresheet that you choose to use:

1. 1B (Single) - When a batter hits the ball and makes it to first base then he has hit a Single. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

2. 2B (Double) - When a batter hits the ball and makes it to second base then he has hit a Double. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

3. 3B (Triple) - When a batter hits the ball and makes it to third base then he has hit a Triple. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

4. AB (At-Bats) - This abbreviation is only used for keeping statistics. An At-Bat refers to an official appearance of a batter at the plate. If a batter is hit by the ball, or if a batter Walks, or if a batter Sacrifices, or if a batter is interfered with, then this does not count as an At-Bat.

5. BB (Base on Balls) - If a pitcher throws four "Balls" to the batter (i.e. four pitches which are outside of the batter's strike zone, and which the batter does not swing at), then the batter automatically goes to first base. This is also called a Walk, and it can be done intentionally or unintentionally by the pitcher. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball because the scoresheet provides a W for indicating a Walk.

6. Bk (Balk) - If the pitcher or the catcher make an illegal motion then all runners automatically advance by one base. This can happen if the pitcher does not come to a complete stop before throwing the ball, or if the pitcher steps towards home plate but then throws the ball to a base, or if the catcher moves out of his box while the pitch is being thrown.

7. CS (Caught Stealing) - When a runner attempts to steal a base (see "Stolen Base") but he is touched by an infielder or an outfielder who is holding the ball then he is out.

8. DP (Double Play) - When two runners are out on the same play, it is called a Double Play. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

9. Err (Error) - An Error is recorded when an infielder or outfielder makes certain kinds of mistakes, such as dropping the ball. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

10. F (Fly Ball) - When the batter hits the ball high into the air then it is called a Pop Fly or a Fly Ball. If an infielder or outfielder catches the ball before it touches the ground then the batter is out. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

11. FC (Fielder's Choice) - When there are at least two runners then an infielder or outfielder has a choice of where to throw the ball in order to get one of those runners out. The out is recorded as a Fielder's Choice. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

12. Gr (Grounder) - A Grounder occurs when the batter hits the ball, and the ball touches the ground before it reaches an infielder or outfielder. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

13. GRD (Ground Rule Double) - When the batter hits the ball and it bounces over the outfield wall, or if a fair ball is touched by a spectator, then the batter and the runners automatically advance two bases. This is recorded as a Ground Rule Double.

14. H (Hits) - This abbreviation is only used for keeping statistics. If a batter hits the ball into fair territory and the batter makes it to a base without getting out and without any errors being made by the infielders or outfielders then it is recorded as a Hit.

15. HBP (Hit By Pitcher) - If the pitcher throws the ball and it hits the batter then the batter automatically goes to first base.

16. HR (Home Run) - A Home Run occurs when the batter hits the ball and is able to touch all of the bases and make it safely all the way back to home plate. This abbreviation is not needed with Visual Baseball.

17. IFR (Infield Fly Rule) - If there are runners on first base and second base, or on first base, second base, and third base, and the batter hits a Fly Ball (not a Line Drive or a Bunt), and the umpire considers it to be an ordinary catch for a fielder, then the umpire can call it an Infield Fly. The batter is automatically out.

18. K (Strike Out) - When the batter gets three Strikes against him then he has Struck Out. This can happen if there are two Strikes against the batter, and then he swings and misses another pitch. This is a "Swinging Strike Out," and some people record this as "K(s)" on their scoresheets. A Strike Out can also happen if there are two Strikes against the batter, and the pitcher throws the ball into the batter's strike zone, but the batter does not swing. This is a "Called Strike Out" (meaning that the umpire called it as a Strike, even though the batter didn't swing at the ball), and some people record this as "K(c)" on their scoresheets (other people record it with a backwards K). Note that if the batter has no Strikes, or if he has only one Strike, and he hits a foul ball, then this counts as a Strike. However, if the batter has two Strikes and then he hits a foul ball, this is not counted as a Strike. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

19. LD (Line Drive) - When the batter hits the ball, and it carries for some distance but with a low altitude (i.e. it's not a Fly Ball) then it is called a Line Drive. If an infielder or outfielder catches the ball before it touches the ground then the batter is out. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

20. LOB (Left On Base) - This abbreviation is only used for keeping statistics. It refers to the number of runners who are still on base after the third out. These runners are sometimes referred to as being "stranded."

21. PB (Passed Ball) - When the pitcher throws the ball, and the batter does not hit the ball, and the catcher does not catch the ball, then it might be recorded as a Passed Ball. This is similar to a Wild Pitch, and it is up to the official scorer of the game to make the call (listen to the announcer or watch the scoreboard for the official verdict).

22. PO (Pick Off) - When there is a runner on base, but the runner is not actually touching the base, then the pitcher might throw the ball to the infielder who is standing on the runner's base (instead of throwing the ball to the batter). If the infielder catches the ball before the runner touches the base then the runner is out.

23. RBI (Runs Batted In) - This abbreviation is only used for keeping statistics. If a batter gets a Hit or a Walk which enables other runners to make it to home plate, then the batter is credited with those Runs Batted In.

24. Sac (Sacrifice) - When the batter hits the ball and one or more runners make it to the next base, but the batter is out, then the batter's play is called a Sacrifice.

25. SB (Stolen Base) - If a runner makes it safely to the next base even though the batter did not hit the ball, this is called a Steal or a Stolen Base.

26. W (Walk) - If a pitcher throws four "Balls" to the batter (i.e. four pitches which are outside of the batter's strike zone, and which the batter does not swing at), then the batter automatically goes to first base. This is also called a Base On Balls, and it can be done intentionally or unintentionally by the pitcher. Visual Baseball provides this abbreviation for you.

27. WP (Wild Pitch) - When the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher, but it is outside of the catcher's normal range, and the batter does not hit it, and the catcher does not catch it, then it might be recorded as a Wild Pitch. This is similar to a Passed Ball, and it is up to the official scorer of the game to make the call (listen to the announcer or watch the scoreboard for the official verdict).

These useful abbreviations can be printed out from the Excel file which contains the Visual Baseball scoresheet (below). For more baseball terms and rules, try The Open Encyclopedia Project or eteamz Baseball Rules page.

A Comparison of the Standard Scoring Method and the Visual Baseball Method

Now let's compare a standard type of scoresheet with the Visual Baseball scoresheet, side by side, and see what happened during the first inning of a fictional baseball game:

What Happened During Each Batter's Appearance at the Plate	Standard Scoring Method	Visual Baseball Method
Player A hit a Single (he has a #7 on his shirt). Player B (#24) struck out for out #1, and Player A remained on first base. Player C (#17) hit a Double, and Player A made it to third base. Player D (#30) hit a Fly Ball which was caught by the left fielder for out #2, and Players A and C remained on their bases. Player E (#22) hit a Home Run. Players A, C, and E scored. Player F (#11) made it to first base on an Error. Player G (#3) hit a Grounder to the third baseman, and Player F was out at second base on a 5-4 Fielder's Choice for out #3.

Notice that both scoring methods capture the essential information about what happened on each play, but there are some major differences between these two methods.

One change with the Visual Baseball method is that not only are the infielders and outfielders numbered from 1 to 9 in order to track their actions (as in the standard scoring method), but the batters are also tracked by using the letters from A to I. The first batter in the original line-up is always Player A, the second batter is always Player B, and so on.

Another change with the Visual Baseball method is that all of the action during a batter's appearance at the plate is shown in the same box. For example, if Player C hits a Double and Player A makes it to third base, then both of those actions are recorded in the same box (see the box for #17 in the Visual Baseball example above). You don't need to go back up to Player A's box in order to record his actions on that play, as you would with a standard type of scoresheet. This method of scoring makes it easy to visually see at a glance everything that happened when each player was at bat (hence the name Visual Baseball).

In the sample Visual Baseball scoresheet above, notice that small arrows are used to indicate each player's motion, and an "x" indicates that the runner is out. This shows you at a glance whether the player made it to the base on that play, or whether he simply remained on the same base, or whether he was out on that play. It is even easier and saves time if you simply draw just the "arrow heads" (the "v" part) rather than the full arrows, or perhaps you might choose not to use any arrows at all.

Notice that it is not necessary to write "1B," "2B," "3B," or "HR" to indicate that the batter hit a Single, Double, Triple, or Home Run, because you can see this information at a glance. It is also not necessary to write "FC" for Fielder's Choice, or "DP" for Double Play, etc., because the diagram shows you those things at a glance (see the 5-4 Fielder's Choice in the last box in the Visual Baseball example above).

Some of the most common abbreviations (W, Fly, K, LD, Err, Gr) are provided so that you can simply circle the appropriate action. Some people prefer to indicate whether a Strike Out was a "Called Strike Out" or a "Swinging Strike Out," and you can show this by writing a small "c" or "s" next to the K before you circle the K. For other abbreviations such as HBP, GRD, etc., there is room for you to write those in.

Some people like to keep track of the Balls and Strikes for each batter, and there is room for marking those. Use the space in front of the W for writing a hash mark for each Ball (because 4 Balls is a Walk), and use the space in front of the K for writing a hash mark for each Strike (because 3 Strikes is a Strike Out). The Excel file (below) contains some examples of marking Balls and Strikes in this way.

Some people also like to show where the ball was hit, and using a dotted line works nicely on the Visual Baseball scoresheet.

Download the Visual Baseball Scoresheet

The Visual Baseball scoresheet is in Microsoft Excel format, and it consists of three worksheets:

1. The first worksheet (labeled "Visual Baseball") contains the scoresheet, and it will print the first six innings on page 1, and six more innings on page 2 (as a side benefit, this actually gives you more space for pinch hitters and substitutions). After you print these two pages, try putting the second page (with innings 7 to 12) face-up on top of the first page, then place them face-up in the paper tray of your printer. Now print both pages again, and you should end up with two scoresheets (one for each team) with the first 6 innings on one side of a page, and the last 6 innings on the other side of the page.

2. The second worksheet (labeled "Useful Abbreviations") allows you to print out the useful abbreviations which are described above.

3. The third worksheet (labeled "Examples") allows you to print out some examples of how to score various plays.

To download the Excel file, right-click on the following link, then click "Save Target As":

VisualBaseball.xls

None of the information in the Excel file is copyrighted, so please feel free to modify the spreadsheets in any way that makes them more useful to you.

Here is the .BMP file which is used in each box of the scoresheet. You can download this picture and then modify it by using the Paint program which comes with Microsoft Windows (click on Start/Programs/Accessories/Paint). To download the picture, right-click on the following link, then click "Save Target As":

VisualBaseball.bmp

The picture is 117 pixels wide, and 78 pixels high. All of the numbers and letters are in the Ariel font, 7 points, with a dark gray color (I slightly trimmed the word "Err" to make it easier to read). Unfortunately, if you change the picture then you'll have to manually delete all of the pictures in the scoresheet, then paste the new picture into every box and line them up properly (if you find an easier way then please let me know!). It helps if you use the arrow keys to line up the picture in each box, rather than using the mouse. After you finish page 1 then you can simply delete page 2, then copy and paste page 1 to make a new page 2, then change the inning numbers on page 2.

Consider visiting some of my other websites!

You'll find a Christian ministry with dozens and dozens of articles and answers to many questions that I have received over the years (please feel free to send me your questions and prayer requests!); plus a collection of some of the best self-working card tricks around (no sleight-of-hand required!); plus instructions and pictures which show you how to tie dozens of the most useful rope knots; plus a bunch of amazing/funny/fascinating/interesting videos from around the Web which are all clean and family-friendly; plus lots of reviews of numerous fun and educational (and free!) computer games that you can download; plus a huge collection of cool science tricks and other fun stuff to try (using things around the house), and more!

For a complete list, go to http://www.Layhands.com/DavesWebsites.htm.

Hope you like 'em!

Modification History

02/12/2007:	Seems like it would be clearer to use an "x" to indicate that a runner is out (rather than an arrow), so I changed the pictures and descriptions. Also added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites."
04/15/2005:	Fixed a scoring error on page 2 of the "Examples of How to Use the Visual Baseball Scoresheet."
08/03/2004:	New website.

Dave Root
Houston, TX, USA