#24---TOR @ CLE, 3/13/2008

I still can’t help myself when it comes to scoring spring training games. Here is a 2008 example of this.

Since the game is a run of the mill exhibition, I’ll instead discuss the changes I made to my scoring this year. I decided that I had too many letters and numbers on the sheet, so I changed the way I score hits and modify some out codes. My old method of scoring hits was a three symbol code, something like “=8L”. The “=” indicates that it is a double, the “8” is for centerfield, and the “L” is for line drive. I decided to eliminate the letter describing the trajectory of the hit.

The decision I made was to use a small horizontal line over the location to indicate a line drive (see Zaun’s first inning single), a similar line under the location to indicate a groundball (see Barfield’s first inning single), and a curved line over the location to indicate a flyball (not seen on this scoresheet). Additionally, I decided that all outfield hits would be considered flyballs by default, and so a hit with an outfield location but no symbol is assumed to be a flyball (see Hafner’s first inning single). Any infield hit (not seen here either) is assumed to be a groundball.

I also used these to modify outs, so a 7 with a line over it is a line drive caught by the left fielder, which I used to mark as “L7” (again, there are none of these in this particular game). A squiggly line underneath the location indicates a bunt, which can be used for a hit or an out. A combination of the line drive and flyball symbols indicates a looper, which is my designation for a ball that straddles those two categories (I used to mark them “LP”). A mark like this “`” to the side of a play indicates that it was made in foul territory. “1-43”, in the case of Sandoval’s fifth inning at bat, indicates a ball that was deflected by the pitcher to the second baseman, who threw to first for the out (I used to mark this d143). I will point out some of those when they come up in later scoresheets--this game didn’t have many unusual plays to record.

I also changed, ever so slightly, my method for recording when a pitcher enters the game. I used to mark something like “Parrish 3-4”, which means that the first batter John Parrish faced was the #3 hitter in the lineup, and it happened in the fourth inning. As you can see, I still do that, sometimes. But now, if a pitcher enters at the start of an inning, I omit the lineup slot portion of the code (ex. “Laffey 5” means that Laffey took over on the mound at the start of the fifth inning). This just serves to reduce a small bit of unnecessary clutter.