Guide
How to read a Boxscored scorecard
Boxscored draws every plate appearance the way a scorekeeper would in a paper scorebook: one box per at-bat, a small diamond for the bases, and a short code for what happened. Once you know a dozen symbols, you can read a whole game at a glance.
Anatomy of a box
A double that drove in a run. The batter's path runs from home to first to second.
- The diamond. Home plate is at the bottom, first base on the right, second at the top, third on the left. The runner travels counterclockwise, just like on the field.
- Bold green path: the bases this batter reached, including later advances as teammates move him along.
- Dashed path ending in ✕: he was put out on the bases. A small label says how: CS (caught stealing), PO (picked off), DP (double play), FC (forced out on a fielder's choice), or TO (thrown out trying to advance).
- Filled diamond: he came around to score.
- Green dots: runs batted in on this plate appearance, one dot per RBI.
- Gold box: a grand slam.
- Tap any box in the app for a plain-English description of the play.
Position numbers
Scorekeepers record fielders by number, not name. These are the same in every scorebook, from Little League to the majors.
| 1 | Pitcher | 4 | Second base | 7 | Left field |
| 2 | Catcher | 5 | Third base | 8 | Center field |
| 3 | First base | 6 | Shortstop | 9 | Right field |
So 6-3 means the shortstop fielded the ball and threw to first. F8 is a fly ball caught by the center fielder.
Every code Boxscored uses
Hits
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1B | Single |
| 2B | Double |
| 3B | Triple |
| HR | Home run. The diamond fills in, with a green dot for each run batted in. |
Outs
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| K | Strikeout swinging |
| ꓘ | Strikeout looking (called third strike). The backwards K is a scorebook tradition. |
| 6-3 | Groundout, listed as the chain of fielders who handled it. 4-3 is second to first. |
| F8 | Flyout, with the fielder who caught it |
| L6 | Lineout |
| P4 | Popout |
| 6-4-3 | Double play (shortstop to second to first). Labeled DP when the chain isn't available; TP for a triple play. |
| SF | Sacrifice fly: an out that scores a runner |
| SAC | Sacrifice bunt |
| GO | Groundout when the fielders aren't recorded |
Reaching base without a hit
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BB | Walk (base on balls) |
| IBB | Intentional walk |
| HBP | Hit by pitch |
| E6 | Reached on an error, with the fielder charged (here, the shortstop) |
| FC | Fielder's choice: the defense got another runner instead of the batter |
Baserunning
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SB | Stolen base |
| CS | Caught stealing |
| PO | Picked off |
| WP | Wild pitch (charged to the pitcher) |
| PB | Passed ball (charged to the catcher) |
| BK | Balk |
Examples
Single. He reached first and was stranded there.
Walked, then scored. Teammates drove him all the way around.
Single, then caught stealing on the way to second.
Called third strike. A regular K would mean he struck out swinging.
Sacrifice fly. He made an out, but a runner tagged up and scored: one RBI dot.
Grand slam. Four RBI dots and a gold box.
Illustrations. In the app, the boxes sit on the player's page in inning order, and on each game's scorebook.
Whole-game scorebooks
Open any game from the Games tab to see a traditional scorebook, one team at a time: the lineup down the side, innings across the top, one box per plate appearance, and the linescore above. Substitutes appear in the lineup spot they took over. Prefer numbers? Switch to the box-score view. When a game is final, Export PDF gives you a printable copy, which makes a good souvenir of a game you attended.
Scorekeepers don't all use identical conventions; some write "Kc" for a called strikeout, or mark hits with lines instead of codes. Boxscored follows the most common style, and the tap-for-description on every box removes any doubt.
Want to keep score yourself? Practice the hard calls
Reading a scorecard is one skill; deciding what to write is another. Was that a hit or an error? A wild pitch or a passed ball? Tough Call, a free app from the maker of Boxscored, shows you a real play, asks for your ruling, and grades it against the official scorer's. It's built for parent and volunteer scorekeepers.