1. 1 TCLL Scorekeeper Clinic David Robinson February 10, 2014

2. 2 Clinic Overview Section 1Introduction to Scorekeeping Section 2The Tools of the Trade Section 3How To Score AppendicesReference Material

3. 3 Section 1Introduction to Scorekeeping Section 2The Tools of the Trade Section 3How To Score AppendicesReference Material

4. 4 Who We Are Scorekeepers are all volunteers. The scorekeeper is an important official. We work for the umpire, not the managers. If in doubt about anything, ask the umpire – “Blue”. The official scorekeeper is the scorekeeper of the home team. The visiting team usually has a scorekeeper who scores the game in a “team” scorebook.

5. 5 What We Do Game Day Overview When you arrive at the field, get the official scorebook. It may be locked up – see the Appendix. Get the roster (lineup) sheets from the umpire and fill in the lineups in the scorebook. Score the game. Official scorekeeper fills out both pitch count logs You and the umpire sign the scorebook. The umpire must sign the pitch count logs. Return the scorebook to storage – if this is the last game of the day, lock the storage unit.

6. 6 What We Do The Score Keep the score – count the runs. – The official scorekeeper’s record of runs scored is the final word – the umpire, the scoreboard, and the team managers are all secondary. – So your record must be accurate. Your primary duty once a play starts is to count the people crossing the plate! When in doubt if a run counts, ask the umpire. – Some leagues have runs-per-inning maximum rule: see the Appendix.

7. 7 What We Do Pitch Count Little League limits pitches per game. Also, depending on how many pitches are thrown, the pitcher must rest a certain number of days. See the Appendix. So we need an accurate count of pitches thrown, per pitcher. The official scorekeeper counts the pitches.

8. 8 What We Do Pitch Count - continued Managers keep count for their pitchers. But the official scorekeeper’s pitch counts are the final word. So be accurate! Be ready to give the current pitch count to the umpire any time he asks for it. Also the count to the current batter – your count is the final word. At the end of an at-bat, if a pitcher is at or past his maximum, you must inform the umpire if the manager forgets, because the pitcher must be removed.

9. 9 What We Do Pitch Count - continued Catchers are restricted from pitching – a player cannot pitch after he/she catches 4 innings. So we track this by recording the catcher’s uniform number in each inning. When a new pitcher enters the game, you must inform the umpire if the pitcher is ineligible due to having caught 4 innings.

10. 10 What We Do Game Record Runs, pitches, etc are recorded in a specially formatted scorebook, together with hits, outs, etc. The info recorded in the book allows a complete reconstruction of the events of the game, in case of questions during or after the game. The official book must be signed at game’s end by: Official scorekeeper umpire

11. 11 How We Do It Use the Tools & Know the Rules Use the tools – Roster for each team, with ineligible pitchers marked, and league age for each player. – Score book. – Pitch count log. Know the rules that affect scorekeeping.

12. 12 Section 1Introduction to Scorekeeping Section 2The Tools of the Trade Section 3How To Score AppendicesReference Material

13. 13 Tools of the Trade The Team Roster Each team gives the umpire a player roster before the game starts. It shows each player’s name, uniform number, league age, and pitching eligibility. League age is the player’s age as of April 30. The order of the players on the roster is the batting order – very important. Transcribe this info into the scorebook.

14. 14 Tools of the Trade The Pitching Log Pitching logs are held by the managers between games, shown to the umpire before the game, and then given to the scorekeeper. At the end of the game you transcribe your official pitch counts into the pitching logs. The umpire must sign the pitching logs. The next page shows a blank pitching log. Fill in days rest for each pitcher.

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16. 16 Tools of the Trade The Scorebook - intro The scorebook is your main tool. It lets you track all of the following: Runs (individually and by inning) Pitches and pitchers, and catchers Outs Hits History of each batter’s at-bat So it is a complicated instrument, but we’ll take it a step at a time.

17. 17 Tools of the Trade The Scorebook – whole page First we’ll look at an entire page. Note: Game date & time @ top right. Visitor & home team name & scores at top. “Pitchers” box : record uniform # & pitch count. This is the visitor’s at bat page (home team fielding). Be careful – terms are confusing. One column for each inning One row for each batter: one box for each at-bat. Top of each inning has opposing battery #s. Bottom of page (not shown) for pitch counts.

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19. 19 Tools of the Trade The Scorebook – “at bat” box Next we’ll look at the box for one at-bat. Note: Boxes down the right to record 3 balls & 2 strikes. Foul balls after strike 2 – show as dots along bottom of box, starting at the right. Ways of getting on base down the left. Baseball diamond to show where a hit went. Base paths to track the runner around the bases.

20. BB 1B 2B 3B HR

21. 21 Section 1Introduction to Scorekeeping Section 2The Tools of the Trade Section 3How To Score AppendicesReference Material

22. 22 How To Score Basic Scoring We will go through 2 of the visitor half-innings at bat. First inning: – Hogan: flies out to left on 2-1: 1 st out. – Jones: walks. – Robinson: singles to right on 0-2; Jones steals 2 nd. – Woods: Robinson is put out trying to steal 2 nd for the 2 nd out. Woods doubles to left on 1-2; Jones scores. – Fong flies out to shortstop on 2-1: 3 rd out. – Note circled out numbers in boxes for Hogan, Robinson, Fong, also the truncated “T” on Robinson’s steal. – Note pitch count at bottom of page, and squiggly line. – Don’t forget to enter runs at top of page.

23. 23 How To Score Basic Scoring Second inning: – Withrow: walks. – Hoskins: singles to center on 0-2-1 (dot for foul ball after strike 2); Withrow advances to 2 nd. – Tropp: grounds out to 1 st on 1-0: 1 st out, Hoskins advances to 2 nd, Withrow to 3 rd. – Vardon: pops out to the pitcher on 2-2: 2 nd out. – Hogan: singles on a bunt to pitcher; pitcher tries a throw to home to get Withrow but throws wild, so Withrow scores on an error; Hoskins advances to 3 rd.

24. 24 How To Score Basic Scoring Second inning (continued) – Jones: Hogan steals 2 nd on 1 st pitch. Jones grounds out (2 nd to 1 st ) on 2-1: 3 rd out. Hoskins gets home before the out but no run (force). – Note pitch count for this inning (22) plus running total. – Don’t forget to enter runs at top of page. Note pitch counts at bottom of page, and runs along the top of the page – these are the most important items.

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27. 4HOGAN, B. 12JONES, C. 6ROBINSON, P. 1WOODS, E. 1 F7 s 2

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29. 29 How To Score Practice and Questions If you are a beginner, there is no substitute for practice. Score a game with an experienced scorekeeper – that is how I learned. Anyone who wants to can do this during the exhibition season, when I will be scoring at some games to keep myself current. If you are interested, e-mail me at scorekeeper@tcll.org and I’ll make arrangements to score your game with you or have you attend one of the ones I am scoring.scorekeeper@t If you have questions about scorekeeping, e-mail them to me at the address above.

30. 30 How To Score Batting all the way thru the order When the offense is able to go through their order and back where they started, you run out of space in that column. In this case, steal the next column to the right and draw an arrow on the top from the proper column to the stolen column. Write over the inning number in the stolen column with the previous inning. Do this with all the inning columns, before you forget.

31. 31 How To Score Change of pitchers When the defense changes pitchers or catchers, you need denote the change, usually by drawing a heavy line under the current at-bat box. Also, in the top of the inning column where you show the battery’s uniform numbers, draw a slash then the new numbers, e.g. 3-6/12-6 for a pitcher change. For a pitcher change, as soon as you can, total the old pitcher’s pitch count. Put a slash and the total at the bottom of the column, leaving room for the new pitcher’s count for this inning.

32. 32 How To Score Batting out of order Batting out of order – A batter out of order triggers a complicated set of rules. – The good news : you do not have to understand the rules. – The bad news: you must remember to do these 4 things: Never trust the offense to put the correct batter at the plate – always check the player’s uniform number, and record it. Do not say anything to anyone about the out of order when it happens – if you do, it can wrongly affect the game outcome. Calmly record the actions of the out-of-order batter(s) and the order they came to the plate. If the defense calls the out-of-order, this may cause changes to your scorebook (sad but true) : ask the umpire what has changed.

33. 33 How To Score Batting out of order (contd) Batting out of order – The reason the scorekeeper stays silent is that it is up to the defensive team to notice the problem: if they do, it helps the defense – you must not help the defense and hurt the offense by drawing attention to it. – If the defense calls the out-of-order situation, this may cause serious changes in your scorebook, and you must be ready for the umpire to tell you that: Certain batter(s) to be called out. Advanced runners (sometimes including runs!) to be called back. – See the green rule book for more info.

34. 34 Section 1Introduction to Scorekeeping Section 2The Tools of the Trade Section 3How To Score AppendicesReference Material

35. 35 Appendix 1 - Introduction Who We Are – We work for the umpire, not the team manager. – The official scorekeeper is not supposed to communicate with anyone except the umpire. Exception: between innings, the visiting team scorekeeper will sometimes come over to verify pitch count – this is OK. – When any manager wants a pitch count, he/she must ask the umpire for the pitch count, and the umpire in turn asks the scorekeeper. – In a home game, the manager should have two scorekeepers – one for the official book and one for his team book. Especially in tournament play, the scorekeeper should not try to keep 2 books at once. – Address the umpire as “Blue” – this way you do not need to know his/her name.

36. 36 Appendix 1 – Introduction (continued) What We Do – Game Day Overview – Wagon Wheel fields: The scorebooks are kept in the central concrete hut that contains the bathrooms, in a closet on the south side adjacent to the vending machines. The key to the closet is kept in a lock box on the fence behind the snack shack. – your manager has the combination. Key must be returned to lockbox immediately. Closet also contains electronic scoreboard controllers. – Coto Sports Park (Juniors) The scorebooks are kept locked up in the wooden hut between the two fields. Scorekeepers do not have the key or combination to this door – wait for one of the managers to open it.

37. 37 Appendix 1 – Introduction (continued) What We Do – The Score – In AAA and AA leagues only, max runs scored per team per inning is 5, until the last inning (no max in the last inning). But if darkness shortens the game, the “last inning” might be inning 4 or 5 etc. Watch for this and inform the umpire when the max is reached. – The 3rd out is tricky. When the 3rd out is a force play, none of the runs scored on that play will count. If in doubt, ask the umpire! – When the 3rd out is not a force play, runs scored after the out happens do not count, but runs scored before the out happens do count. If in doubt, ask the umpire!

38. 38 Appendix 1 – Introduction (continued) What We Do – Pitch Count – Warm-up pitches, balks, and “no pitch” are not counted in the pitch count. – Illegal pitches are counted in the pitch count – Pitch count limits depend on the player’s league age – this is why it is so important that the lineup sheet contain the player’s league age. – Regardless of any other pitch count regulations, no pitcher can pitch in more than one game per day (except in Junior & Senior league – limit of two games per day but only if 30 pitches or less in the first game). – After throwing 41 or more pitches, the pitcher may not be catcher for the rest of that day. – After catching 4 or more innings, a player may not pitch. Catching even a single pitch counts as a full inning (except warm-up pitches do not count). – Scorekeeper must inform the umpire when A pitcher starts a new batter and has exceeded his maximum pitch count. Defense brings out a pitcher who has caught 4 innings or more. Defense brings out a catcher who has pitched 41 pitches or more.

39. 39 Appendix 1 – Introduction (continued) What We Do – Pitch Count (continued) – The pitch count restrictions involve two separate things: Maximum number of pitches per day is limited. Rest requirement: this is the number of full days between the game day and the next pitching day. For example, if 2 days rest are needed and the game was on Monday, the player cannot pitch until Thursday. – Maximum pitch count rules There is a maximum number of pitches that a player is allowed per day, depending on his or her age. After reaching this count, the pitcher must be retired. Exception : when a pitcher reaches his or her maximum pitch count for the day while facing a batter, the pitcher can “finish” the batter without pitch limit, but must then be replaced. “finish” the batter means until : – The batter reaches a base or is put out. – The third out occurs, ending the half inning.

40. 40 Appendix 1 – Introduction (continued) What We Do – Pitch Count (continued) – Rest requirement Depending on the number of pitches delivered during a day, the pitcher must rest (not pitch) for a specific number of days following the game (see the tables on the following pages). But - the number of days rest is actually not calculated by the total number of pitches delivered. Instead it is calculated by the total pitch count after the first pitch delivered to the last batter the pitcher faces. In effect, this means that once the first pitch is delivered to the pitcher’s last batter, there is no additional rest requirement assessed, no matter how many more pitches it takes to finish that batter. – For example, if a 12-year -old pitcher starts pitching to a batter at a pitch count of 18, and finishes at a count of 25, then the rest requirement for 1- 20 pitches applies, not the requirement for 21-35 pitches. – The following three slides show the pitch count rule details for regular season games & TOC. All-stars tournament rules are different and can be found in the Little League green rule book.

41. 41 Pitch Count – Max pitches per day League Age 17 - 18 13 - 16 11 - 12 9 - 10 7 - 8 Max Pitches Per Day 105 95 85 75 50 Regulation VI Note: in AA, pitchers are limited to 9 outs regardless of pitch count

42. 42 Pitch Count – rest requirements Number of Pitches 66+ 51 - 65 36 – 50 21 – 35 1 - 20 Rest Requirement 4 Calendar Days 3 Calendar Days 2 Calendar Days 1 Calendar Day None League Age 14 & Under Regulation VI (c)

43. 43 Pitch Count – rest requirements Number of Pitches 76+ 61 – 75 46 – 60 31 – 45 1 - 30 Rest Requirement 4 Calendar Days 3 Calendar Days 2 Calendar Days 1 Calendar Day None League Age 15 & Over Regulation VI (c)

44. 44 Appendix 2 – Tools of the trade The Scorebook – Many of the areas of the score sheet are not used in our leagues. – Positions played in each inning (boxes at top just below runs scored) – you do not need to track this. – The 2 rightmost sections are for info we do not track – you can use them for whatever you like. – The front of the scorebook contains a cheat sheet showing the special notations used (e.g. F7 means fly out to left field).

45. 45 Appendix 3 – How to Score In AAA and up, most coaches want to see advanced marks in the scorebook as described below. This is for the team book and is not strictly necessary in the official book – but it’s nice to have if you can do it. Errors – When a batter gets on base safely there is a question whether this is a hit, a fielder’s choice, or an error. If the defense chooses to throw out a runner instead of the batter, this is a fielder’s choice. If it could have made the out with ordinary effort but failed to do so, this is an error. Otherwise it’s a hit. In all cases, mark the appropriate box on the left. – For fielder’s choice, mark the top center of the box with a capital FC. – For errors, mark the top center of the box with a capital E and the number of the position who made the error. For example, if the batter gets to 1 st base due to an error by the 2 nd baseman, mark E4 in the box. – Some scorers prefer to put the mark on the first base line only – this is an individual decision since there are advantages to both.

46. 46 Appendix 3 – How to Score (continued) Errors - continued – Similarly, when a runner advances on a batted ball in spite of the defense’s attempt to throw him out, if they could have made the play with ordinary effort but fail, this is an error. Mark the base path that the runner advanced on with a capital E (and the player number if you have room). Stolen bases – When a runner steals, there are 4 ways to mark the base path(s): Mark the first stolen base path P (passed ball) if the steal happened because the catcher allowed a reasonable pitch to get past & behind him. Mark the first path W (wild pitch) if the steal happened because the catcher allowed a wild pitch to get past & behind him. Mark the first path with an E if the steal happened because the catcher made a reasonable throw but the baseman missed it. Otherwise (no error by the defense) mark the first path with an S. If the runner steals more than one base on the same steal this is almost always an error : mark the 2 nd & subsequent paths with E.

47. 47 Appendix 3 – How to Score (continued) Hurt Batter – TCLL uses Rule 4.04 at all levels. If a batter is injured during an at-bat, the next batter in the lineup steps up and takes over the injured player’s count. – In the scorebook, copy the hurt batter’s at-bat box contents into the next batter’s square. – Then erase the hurt batter’s box & write INJURED in it. If the batter is still hurt next inning, he is just skipped, and you write INJURED in his box again. – Obviously, this has no effect on pitch count. Balks and illegal pitches – Balks (Juniors and up only) do not count toward the pitch count, because in most cases the pitcher does not actually throw the ball. But if there is no base runner then it counts as a ball in the batter’s count, so you have to write B somewhere in the box, to remind you not to count it as a pitch. – Illegal pitches do count toward the pitch count, since the pitcher threw the ball. You must count the pitch even though it does not affect the count on the batter. Put a little dot (like the ones we use for foul balls) in the top of the box above the first ball slot, and count it when you add up the pitch count.

48. 48 Appendix 3 – How to Score (continued) Games outside Coto Sports Park & Wagon Wheel – On rare occasions there are games not held at Wagon Wheel or Coto Sports Park. – This occurs mostly in Juniors and up. – Sometimes our TCLL team is the home team despite being at an “away” field. – In cases like this, the scorekeeper must drop by Coto Sports Park or Wagon Wheel, on the way to the game, to pick up the official scorebook. Make sure to get the key location or lock combination from your manager first! Pitcher returning to the mound – In Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions, a pitcher, once removed from the mound to play in another position, may return to the mound, but may only do this once per game. In other words, any second removal is final and the pitcher may not return. – In all other divisions, no pitcher, once removed from the mound, can pitch for the remainder of that game. No exceptions.