Regarding the shift, if there is a 5-3 with the third baseman on the right side of the infield, I note the 5-3 and write SHIFT under it.

Later in his response, Plavnick mentions that he does the same for all batted balls, using letters or numbers to mark the location marking the number of the location in parentheses is a logical step in this system. The (4) would frequently be marked under the 5-3, or wherever space allows.īy adding the parenthetical number, Plavnick identifies both the fielder and the location while making it clear which number is which. For example, a groundout from 3B to 1B fielded behind 2b would be something like G5(4)-3. Then, in order to indicate where the ball was initially fielded, I will note in the same scoresheet box in smaller print and in parenthesis the number of the actual physical location. baseball fan, and Stew Thornley, one of the Twins’ official scorers and editor-in-chief of the newsletter.įirst, I will indicate the normal position of the fielders involved. In the January 2017 issue of the SABR Official Scoring Committee newsletter, two persons addressed this question: Don Plavnick, a longtime D.C. Existing Opinionsįortunately, others have already considered the question of these confounding factors - the position of the fielder handling the ball, and his position on the field - and come up with solutions individual to their own scoring systems. (As I said, there is a lot of variety in scoring systems.) These are all the scorekeeping symbols that will be used in this article. This sequence might be designated as 6-3, 1, 7 or it might be written as 63, P1, F7 or possibly G6, P1, F7.

An example: the leadoff hitter grounds to the shortstop, the second hitter pops right back to the mound, and the third man up skies one to left but the ball is caught. Outs are designated by the fielder(s) who touched the ball during the play some systems designate different types of outs with a leading letter. (While there is a lot of variety in scoring systems, this position numbering is universal.) Here’s a quick summary of the scoring symbols used in this article.Įvery position player on the field is represented by a number: pitcher is 1, catcher 2, first baseman 3, second baseman 4, third baseman 5, shortstop 6, left fielder 7, center fielder 8, and right fielder 9. If you’re a fan who hasn’t or doesn’t keep score, you may not know what I meant by “4” and “G6” above.

So, how can we score the shift? Scoring Basics While no two fans keep the same scoring system, this question should be considered. Take a walk around any baseball diamond and you will find fans with scoresheets keeping their own records of the game. While viewers (among them, me) may have disagreed with that particular scoring, she did justify it, pointing out that marking it as “4” rather than “6” would suggest to a fan - or an announcer - rapidly reading through the sheet that the ball had been hit to the right side of the infield. Interestingly, Gellner said she’d marked the play as “G6” on her scorecard, recording where the ball had been hit rather than who had fielded the ground ball. Baltimore had three players to the left of second base, and second baseman Chris Bostick had fielded the grounder on that side of the bag, leading to a minor debate on how to properly score the play. This groundout, though a routine play, sparked a multi-minute discussion between play-by-play announcers Marney Gellner and Dan Gladden, simply because the Orioles had shifted their infield. Late in Monday’s loss to the Orioles, one Twin sent a ground ball up the middle, where the second baseman fielded it and threw the batter out.

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