Baseball Scorekeeping: A Practical Guide to the Rules
by Andres Wirkmaa

Our Price: $29.95
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $10.70 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Baseball Scorekeeping: A Practical Guide to the Rules

Book Review: So you think you know the rules of the game...
Summary: 5 Stars

Do you care what your favorite player's batting average is? Are his on-base percentage and his slugging percentage important to you? Then you owe a real debt of gratitude to baseball's official scorers. All the statistics that are generated around the game of baseball depend upon the oft-maligned and seldom properly-appreciated scorers of the game.

And baseball scorers, as well as fans, owe a debt of gratitude to Andres Wirkmaa for writing this interesting and informative book.

Baseball Scorekeeping is a thorough and meticulous discussion of Rules 10.01 through 10.24 of baseball's official rulebook, pertaining to "The Official Scorer." It is an essential reference for any professional scorekeeper, and for anyone who keeps score seriously.

Until I read this book, I had no idea of the complex rules that go into keeping score, nor of the amount that a scorer must know to do his or her job properly. The scorekeeper must pay strict attention at all times to what is happening on the field, and must often use his or her judgment and discretion to apply the rules so that the resulting statistics will be meaningful and comparable.

Filled with examples and illustrations of complicated baseball situations, the book takes on the task of explaining not only what is required of the scorekeeper, but why. Despite the rigid format imposed by the rulebook, the author manages some humor in unexpected places. I particularly enjoyed his explicatory subtitles (he refers, for example, to the "...Seemingly Pointless, Unnecessary and Incongruous Exception to Rule 10.05(e)".

Wirkmaa clears up many misconceptions. A common one is that a fielder must touch the ball to be charged with an error. Not true! The difference between a misplay and an error, the difference between a plate appearance and an at bat, understandable explanations of a fielder's choice, and how to calculate earned runs, all are here. In this surprisingly fascinating book, you will also find out how a runner can be caught stealing and still be safe on base, how a pitcher can be credited with a strikeout while the batter reaches first base safely, and how a batter may have his plate appearance charged to one pitcher but the run he eventually scores charged to a second pitcher.

If you think you understand all of baseball's rules, buy this book and test yourself. Baseball Scorekeeping is a wonderful book to "dip into" occasionally just for fun. And when questions about scoring come up, you will find the answers here.

The book is printed on acid-free paper for a long shelf life.

Summary of Baseball Scorekeeping: A Practical Guide to the Rules

With confidence and enthusiasm, Andres Wirkmaa leads the reader through the daunting maze of rules that govern official scorekeeping. Chapters explain and clarify the official scorer?s duties, responsibilities and authority; the official scorer?s reports; and all the game-to-game details such as player listings, substitute batters and runners, out-of-turn batters, called and forfeited games, runs batted in, base hits, stolen bases, sacrifices, putouts, assists, double and triple plays, errors (and instances when errors are not charged), wild pitches and passed balls, bases on balls, strikeouts, earned runs, winning and losing pitchers, and saves. Also covered are statistics, percentage records, minimum standards for individual championships, and consecutive hitting and playing streaks.

Reference Books

• Subjects > Education & Reference
• Sports & Outdoors > Baseball