UPDATE: I’ve added some baseball-related humor here.
OK, I’m confused. Consider the following inning:
- First batter gets a base hit; advances to second on a balk. Runner on first, nobody out.
- Second batter lays down a sac bunt, advancing the runner to third. One out.
- Third batter grounds out to third, runner stays put. Two out.
- Fourth batter gets a base hit, first batter scores. One run in, runner on first, two out.
- Fifth batter hits a triple, fourth batter scores. Two runs in, runner on third, still two out.
- While sixth batter is up, pitcher throws a wild pitch, fifth batter scores. Three runs in, two out.
- Sixth batter grounds out to second. Three outs.
For that inning, how would you score the pitcher’s line, in terms of runs, earned runs, hits, and errors?
Now consider another inning, same pitcher throwing:
- First batter gets a base hit. Runner on first, nobody out.
- Second batter is hit by a pitch. Runners on first and second, nobody out.
- Third batter lays down a sac bunt to third, runners advance. The first baseman drops the throw from third, and the ball rolls behind him. First batter scores. Runners on first and second, nobody out.
- Fourth batter pops out foul to the catcher. First and second, one out.
- Fifth batter strikes out looking. First and second, two out.
- Sixth batter flies out to deep center. Inning over.
How would you score the line for that inning?
Here’s how I did it:
First hypothetical inning: 1.0 IP, 3R, 3ER, 3H, 0K, 0BB
Second hypothetical inning: 1.0 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1HK, 0BB, 1HB
Why do I ask? Because these examples a real game, and the official scorekeeper differed from me. His final score showed the pitcher with 4R (which I had) and 2 ER, one fewer than I had. I’m looking all over the place for the second unearned run, and I can’t find it. Digg?
For reference, here’s the box score and the play-by-play. I’m concerned with the bottom of the fifth and the bottom of the sixth.
July 21st, 2008
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Sports, MLB/MiLB, Blegging |
21 comments
I suppose I could look this up myself, but I’m lazy: Is it scored as a fielder’s choice any time when you have a double-play situation but only one out is made (sans an error), or only when the batter is the one who’s safe? I suspect it’s the latter, but I’m not sure.
Example 1: Runner on first, batter grounds to the shortstop, who throws to second, getting a force out. The second baseman chooses not to throw to first, or throws too late. Fielder’s choice, clearly.
Example 2: Runner on first, batter grounds to third. The runner gets a good jump and the third baseman isn’t sure he can get the throw to second in time, so he throws to first and gets the force there. My guess: Not fielder’s choice, just 5-3.
Discuss.
P.S.: I’m thinking of going to Huntsville this weekend to go see a Stars game. Has anyone been? Any thoughts what to expect?
July 17th, 2008
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Sports, MLB/MiLB, Blegging |
24 comments
So I was teaching my wife to score baseball today at a minor league game, and encountered a scenario that I’m not sure how to score. Runner on first, batter grounds to the second baseman. The second baseman “freezes” the baserunner and throws over to first to get the batter out at first. 4-3, so far so good. But the runner is still out there between first and second. I had thought that it was as simple as throwing back over to second to get the second out and turn the double play, but apparently, since the batter was thrown out at first base first, that leaves the baserunner with the option of going on to second, or running back to first. And he’s caught in a rundown. So after the 4-3 I already mentioned, 3 throws back to 4, who throws back to 3, who tags the runner.
How the hell do you score that? 4-3-4-3? And is the batter credited with grounding into a double play in that scenario? And however the hell you do it, how the hell do you fit it in the little 0.75mm2 box they give you?
I also have a couple of questions about minor details, since it’s been perhaps 25 years since I’ve scored a ball game:
- Is any fly out that advances a runner a sac fly, or only ones on which the runner scores?
- How do you indicate whether an out on the basepaths was a force out or a tag out?
- I’m 95% sure that a batter who grounds into a double play that scores a run is not credited with an RBI, but I’d like confirmation of that.
- What’s the code to indicate a runner was picked off?
I expect digglahhh will answer all these questions from memory, but we’ll see. 
UPDATE: I got tired of waiting for digglahhh, so I looked a few of them up, and have other updates:
- According to rule 10.08, it is only scored as a sacrifice fly a runner scores as a result.
- According to rule 10.04, if you ground into a double play, you are not credited with an RBI, even if a runner scores. Also, if you ground into what should be a double play but isn’t because of an error, you’re not credit with an RBI.
- Someone asked how the runner at first could be “frozen”; basically, the ball was grounded between first and second base, and the second baseman fielded the ball. Once it was in his glove, he was standing directly between the runner and second base. Had the runner continued, he would have run directly into a tag, at which point there was an easy throw to first for the second out. The second baseman didn’t have sufficient time to turn around, throw to second (being covered by the shortstop), and have the shortstop throw over to first. In my estimation, however, it was decidedly a baserunning error by the runner; had he tried to run around the second baseman, he would have forced the second baseman to choose between chasing and tagging him or throwing over to first. At a minimum, after the second baseman threw to first, the runner should have tried to advance to second instead of trying to go back to first, which is what he actually did. By trying to run back to first, he made it a rundown situation instead of a simple tag play at second.
- According to the MLB definitions, it looks like it should be scored as a “reverse double play,” and the batter should be charged with grounding into a double play. And indeed, the official box score is available, and it lists the batter (Sanchez) as having grounded into a double-play. (His other two at bats were a base hit and a strikeout.) My memory of it was not quite right, though. They scored it 4-3-6-3. (You have to follow the gameday flash link from the box score — the little baseball diamond next to the “Box” link — in order to get the official play-by-play.)
So it looks like Ted was correct on his first three points, with the other two still open questions.
July 12th, 2008
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Sports, MLB/MiLB, Blegging |
21 comments
So suppose you had 24 hours in New York. Suppose those 24 hours run from 5:30 PM on Sunday to 5:30 PM on Monday. Suppose further that you wanted to get at least five or six hours of sleep in there. And suppose it’s mid-June when you’re there.
What do you do with that time?
March 11th, 2008
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Blegging |
17 comments
Last week, I asked for help concerning frequent false alarms on my smoke detector. I believe I have the problem solved, and though nobody guessed exactly right, there was a theme in several of the suggestions that ultimately helped a great deal: location, location, location.
Bottom line, it appears that my smoke detector was too close to the attic access door. Moving it about three to four feet farther away seems to have resolved the issue. Not sure if there was an updraft contributing to the problem, or if it’s something else, but either way, thanks to everyone for their help.
February 25th, 2008
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General, Blegging |
no comments
I have a confession: For the better part of the last three years, I’ve been without a working smoke detector in my house.
I bought the house about five years ago, and it was equipped with a smoke alarm in the hallway connecting the bedrooms. But we started getting false alarms — a lot of them. Tried changing to a new battery, same result. The result was ultimately to remove the battery from the detector. Realizing this is a Very Bad Idea, I put the battery back, and we started getting false alarms again. There was no visible dirt in the detector, so I figured the detector itself must be the problem. I went out and bought a brand-spanking-new battery-operated smoke detector, and installed it. Different detector, same problem: relatively frequent false alarms. I’ve even tried moving the detector to a different part of the hallway, with no change in results.
So this leads to two questions:
1: WTF?!
and
2: What can I do to fix this? I really need a working smoke detector in the house.
Any and all serious suggestions are appreciated.
February 22nd, 2008
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Blegging |
19 comments
Dave Neiwert is holding a fundraiser for Orcinus, his blog. If you have the extra scratch, donating some to him would be a good idea. Dave is not just a great writer, he is a top notch reporter. There is no one who covers the eliminationist right better. he has a deep understanding of right wing hate groups that comes form years of studying and reporting on them. His blog is a shiny example of what a dedicated and talented reporter can do given the freedom to follow a story in depth. Supporting that is well worth the money. You can donate here.
January 30th, 2008
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General, Bloggin, Blegging |
no comments
I’ll be in Calgary, Alberta on Christmas night (arriving around 8:30 PM). Will anything in Calgary be open that night?
December 18th, 2007
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Travel, Blegging |
no comments
So I’ve got a new pre-hung door that I need to install in a newly-constructed section of wall. Here’s the problem: The jamb of the door is 4″. A 2×4 is actually 3.5″ thick. Add a piece of 1/2″ drywall on either side, and you’ve got an opening of 4.5″. So WTF am I supposed to do about the extra half inch?
I checked all the doors at Lowe’s, and they’ve all got 4″ jambs. So how’s this supposed to work?
December 11th, 2007
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Blegging |
15 comments
