Basic and Intermediate Scorekeeping Clinic

Welcome Basic Scorekeeping for New Scorekeepers Review for New and Returning Scorekeepers Intermediate Concepts for Experienced Scorekeepers

2017 Little League Rulebook It’s Your Call! Hit Or Error? As OFFICIAL SCOREKEEPER, in YOUR estimation, should the player have made the play given his or her skill (“Reasonable Effort”)? Yes? - Error No? - Hit Who is more affected by your decision? Passed Ball Or Wild Pitch? Should the Catcher have caught or at least stopped the pitch with reasonable effort? Yes? - Passed Ball No? - Wild Pitch A pitch that bounces before reaching the plate is generally a Wild Pitch. Neither a Wild Pitch nor a Passed Ball is an Error.

2017 Little League Rulebook Stolen Base or Fielder’s Choice? A Stolen Base (SB) is only credited when a play is attempted ON THAT RUNNER. No throw, or a throw to a different base or fielder, results in the advance being scored as a Fielder’s Choice (FC). Dropped Third Strike (Majors and above): Conditions: NO runner on 1st, less than two outs Runner can be on 1st base if two outs Pitch touches the ground before catcher gets it Swinging or Called “Strike Three” Batter can attempt to run to 1st Base Record a strikeout (“K”) If batter reaches 1st base safely, show advance due to PB or WP and no out recorded. If batter thrown out, record 2-3.

8 7 9 4 6 5 1 3 2 Baseball By The Numbers

Basic Scorekeeping Question It’s a Major Baseball Division tournament game, and a manager approaches the scorekeeper about a pitching change. The new pitcher has already taken the mound, and has thrown a few warm-up pitches. The scorekeeper notices, however, that the new pitcher is not eligible, having pitched an entire game the previous day. Should the scorekeeper: Do everything in his/her power to stop the game, and prevent the pitcher from delivering a pitch? (Including scream, cry, throw something...) Do nothing? (The scorekeeper should be an impartial official not volunteer information for either side) Get a hot dog? (After all, the game is in a delay.)

2017 Little League Rulebook Play Ball! Official Start Time When the Home Team hands its lineup card to the Umpire at Home Plate NNLL Sunset Policy No New inning may start 10 minutes prior to sunset All play must cease 10 minutes after sunset The Lineup Cards: Minors and below: Continuous batting Majors and Juniors: Substitution rules apply: Only players in starting lineup bat unless a substitution is made Substitute must bat at least once and play 6 consecutive defensive outs before being removed.

2017 Little League Rulebook Topics for discussion Scorekeeper’s status and obligations: Official Scorekeeper Home team’s book is Official Team Scorekeepers Use a Schedule PITCH COUNT! Don’t Volunteer Information Important Rules to be familiar with: Recording the Game Start Time Pitcher Eligibility Batting Out-Of-Turn It’s YOUR Call: Hit Or Error? Passed Ball Or Wild Pitch? Stolen Base or Fielder’s Choice? Dropped Third Strike

2017 Little League Rulebook Pitcher Eligibility: VI – Pitchers (LL Handbook) 12-year-olds cannot pitch in Minor League Ineligible: Has played catcher 4 or more innings in a game is ineligible to pitch that day day A Pitcher removed from the mound cannot return to pitch in that game – Exception? Maximum pitches per day: League Age: 17 - 18 / 105 pitches 13 - 16 / 95 pitches 11 - 12 / 85 pitches 9 – 10 / 75 pitches 7 - 8 / 50 pitches *if a pitcher reaches the limit imposed in Regulation IV for his/her league age while facing a batter, the pitcher may continue to pitch until any one of the following occurs: -the batter reaches base -the batter is put out -the third out is made to complete the half-inning

2017 Little League Rulebook Days of rest: 14 and under more than 65 pitches 4 days of rest more than 50 pitches 3 days of rest more than 35 pitches 2 days of rest more than 20 pitches 1 days of rest 20 or less pitches 0 days of rest * If a pitcher reaches a day of rest threshold while facing a batter, that pitcher will only be required to observe the days of rest he/she reached during that at-bat Official Pitch Count Recorder: League must designate one per game Must provide the current pitch count for any pitcher when requested by either manager or any umpire. Should inform the umpire-in-chief (UIC) when a pitcher has delivered his/her maximum limit of pitches for the game, as noted in Regulation VI (c).

2017 Little League Rulebook ANSWER to QUESTION 1: 4.19(f) Note[2] – Protesting Game All Little League officials are urged to take precautions to prevent protests. When a protest situation is imminent, the potential offenders should be notified immediately. Example: If a pitcher is or will become ineligible during a game, that fact should be brought to attention of the manager of the team before the infraction occurs. 6.07 Batting Out-of-Turn Approved Ruling (Note): The umpire and scorekeeper shall not direct the attention of any person to the presence in the batter's box of an improper batter. - Batting Out-of-Turn cannot be protested

Batting Out Of Turn Don' alert anyone - it's entirely the manager's responsibility to track the batting order. Keep the scorebook for the actual batter at the plate, not the correct batter. If either team discovers the mistake while the batter is still at the plate: The correct batter can be inserted - no harm, no foul. Copy the results of all the pitches to the correct batter's box and erase them from the incorrect batter's box. The correct batter assumes the current pitch count, strikes and balls. If the incorrect batter reaches 1st base safely before anyone reports the error: If the defensive team throws even a single pitch to the next batter: The 'illegal batter' is now 'legalized'. Play continues with no penalty. The skipped batter misses that turn at bat. (You should put a big "X" in his box so you don't accidentally mark a score in it.) If the defensive team APPEALS the incorrect batter before throwing another pitch: The Correct (skipped) batter is called "OUT". (Use "BoT" for Batting out of Turn) Any baserunner thrown out during that play is OUT. All other base runners who advanced on that play are sent back to their original base. The incorrect batter is removed from base and sent back to the dugout. Copy pitch count from the illegal batter to the skipped batter's box. The next batter is the player who follows the SKIPPED batter in the official lineup. NOTE: This mean in all likelihood the previous "illegal" batter now comes to the plate as the legal batter.

Intermediate Concepts

Common Stats Start with Official At-Bats Counted as Official “At-Bat” (AB): Any hit (1B, 2B, 3B, HR) Strike Out Put-out at first base Defensive Error Fly out Fielder's Choice Not Counted as Official “At-Bat” (AB): Walk (BB; Base on balls) Hit by pitch (HBP) Sacrifice Fly: Fewer than two outs The ball is hit to the outfield and caught A runner on base scores Sacrifice Bunt Interference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/baseball statistics

More Common Statistics Runs-Batted-In (RBIs; “Ribbies”; Ribeyes”, etc): 1) Credit the batter with 1 RBI for each run that scores as a result of: A safe hit, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, infield out or fielder's choice, walk, HBP, interference, obstruction, or with less than two outs, a runner scores from third on an error if he would have ordinarily scored anyway. 2) Do not credit an RBI on any fielding error 3) Do not credit an RBI on a force double play or error that would have completed a force double play.

More Common Statistics Earned Runs (ER): 1) Charge a pitcher an Earned Run for each run that scores as a result of normal pitching. 2) Any runners on base as a result of Pitcher A are charged as ERs to Pitcher A, even if he is replaced mid-inning. 3) Do not charge an Earned Run that scores as a result of: A passed ball An error 4. Every run scored after there should have been 3 outs is unearned.

More Common Statistics Earned Runs (continued): 5. You may need to reconstruct the inning to determine if a run is Earned or Unearned: Example: Runner on 2nd base, no outs. Batter reaches 1st safely on a hit, runner advances to 3rd. Ball thrown back to the infield is dropped and runner scores from 3rd. - Not an Earned Run (yet) because of error. However, next batter hits a single. If the runner had stayed on 3rd in the previous play, he would have scored on the hit, and now the run becomes an Earned Run.

Even More Common Statistics Earned Run Average: Measures the effectiveness of a pitcher over several games, or, how many runs the pitcher might be expected to give up in a complete game. (# of ER given up) X (# of innings in a complete game) (# of Innings pitched) NOTE: The number of innings in a normal Little League complete game is 6.

Even More Common Statistics Earned Run Average (Examples): 1) Pitcher gives up 4 Earned Runs in each of 4 complete games. (16 ER) X (6 innings in a complete game) (24 Innings pitched) = 4.00 ERA 2) Pitcher gives up a total of 30 Earned Runs and has pitched a total of 28 innings over several games. (30 ER) X (6 innings in a complete game) (28 Innings pitched) = 10.92 ERA NOTES: It is not necessary to know the number of games the pitcher has pitched in Each 'out' in an inning counts as 1/3 of an inning

Game Changer Training

NOW... Questions?