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Boxscore, play-by-play of this game
The first thing you are likely to notice is that there is not a
separate column for each inning as there is in a traditional scoresheet.
Having a separate column for each inning wastes space that can be put
to more productive use. Instead each column represents one pass through
the team's batting order. The start of each inning is indicated by a
circled inning number in the plate appearance box. In the example, we
see the Oriole's second inning was led off by Dauer (box 9) and the
third by Lowenstein (box 12).
The plate appearance boxes, which are numbered from 1 to 54, are divided
into three lines. The first line is for plays before the batter's event
such as stolen bases, caught stealing, wild pitch, or passed ball. As an
example, we see in box 4 that there was
a passed ball. The advancement of the runner(s) is indicated in the
parentheses. In box 24, the "(NR)" indicates that there was no RBI on
the play, which is redundant for a passed ball.
The middle line describes the batter's event. Hits are indicated by
S, D, T, and H or HR. Outs use standard notation. When a runner is out as
part of the main play, his starting base is indicated in parentheses, which
can also be used for the batter. For example, "4(B)6(2)/LDP would
be a liner to second with the runner on second doubled up.
There may be a "/" after the play with descriptive or other
information. In box 24, the FO indicates it was a force out (although the
scoring "64(1)" contains the same information as it shows the runner who
started the play on first was out). The /G in box 22 is important as it
shows the first baseman fielded the grounder and made the play unassisted.
A 3 or any number by itself would stand for a ball caught in the air for
an out, but the normal practice would be to use "3/P" or "3/F" for a fair
or foul popup or "3/L" for line drive caught by the first baseman.
This particular sheet does not have hit locations. If it did, they would
be indicated after a "/". For example if there was a ground single through
the right side of the infield and fielded by the right fielder, it would be
shown as "S9/G34".
The last line of each box is for advancement of runners on the play or by
extra bases taken by the batter, which might be due to an error or on a
throw. Examples of such last lines are "B-2(E9)" and "2-H;B-2(TH)". Outs
on the bases after the primary play would be in the
last line such as "2xH(92)" and "Bx2(74)".
The plate appearance box numbers are used to indicate offensive,
defensive, and pitching changes. In the second lineup position, Dwyer
started, and his last defensive box (on the other side of the sheet)
was the last one for the Tigers in the top of the 4th, #18. Ford pinch
hit for him in Orioles box #20, and then took over in right (Tigers
box #19) where he finished the game. The DH is indicated by a position
of 0 (zero), so Ayala, who pinch hit for Crowley and stayed in the game,
is not shown with any defensive positioning.
The opposing team's pitchers are shown at the bottom with the box
numbers showing which batters they faced. We see that Morris faced the
first 14 Orioles hitters and was relieved in the third by Saucier.
Crowley was due up, but Ayala hit for him.
[The circled H, P, and D in the first line are not part of the system,
but are useful for those inputting games into the computer. They indicate
a pinch hitter, a pitching change, and a defensive change (Brookens
replaced Whitaker at 2nd, shown on the other side, but no reason for the
change is indicated.)]
If there is something of interest or a need to add additional detail,
the notes area is used with the box number indicated. It is normal
practice to put a circled asterisk in a box that has an associated note.
The original scoresheet that was "translated" to the example had one
of the problems we often run into, namely that for runner advancement
plays it may not be possible to tell who was batting when they occurred.
In box 16, we could not tell if Aylala was caught stealing for the
second out of the inning while Nolan was up or if the CS was for the
third out when Sakata was batting. If we knew Sakata was up, the CS
play would be shown in the first line of box 17 instead of box 16.
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