Some figures may be unknown to the average fan, but “baseball is a game of numbers” according to the saying. Among baseball’s nomenclature and on players’ uniforms, there are numbers.
A double play (or triple play), a batting average, and an earned-run average are all statistics that require mathematical skills to calculate.
Baseball is called a “cerebral” game for this reason, among others. Statistics and data generated by baseball are more extensive than those generated by any other major sport. In newspapers or online sources, fans scour box scores for this information.
The number of home runs a player hit the season before is the first thing kids do when they flip over baseball cards.
What Does 6+4+3=2 Mean In Baseball?
Firstly, you should learn what 6+4+3=2 means in baseball.
It seems, however, that some baseball numbers are for baseball insiders only. Suppose an announcer says, “Just your typical 6-4-3-2 play! Savvy baseball fans will recognize that it is a facetious statement. It is unusual to see such a play
A baseball field’s nine fielding positions are numbered 6-4-3-2 to make scorekeeping easier. In other words, the pitcher’s number is 1 and the right fielder’s number is 9.
It is not just the numbers that carry meaning, but also the figures between them. In the case of the same number sequence combined with some mathematical figures, the result indicates something entirely different. It describes a play where the shortstop threw the ball to the second baseman, who then threw it to the first baseman, who then threw it home.
Adding math symbols for a number combination of 6+4+3=2 results in a typical shortstop-to-second-to-first double play that yields two outs. A series of throws during a play is easier to explain with the hyphenated version. Math symbols indicate that two outs were made on a single play.
An In-Depth Look at Baseball Position Numbers
The position numbers are shown here with their shorthand denotations in capital letters:
1 = P (Pitcher)
2 = C (Catcher)
3 = 1B (1st Baseman)
4 = 2B (2nd Baseman)
5 = 3B (3rd Baseman)
6 = SS (Shortstop)
7 = LF (Left-Fielder)
8 = CF (Center-Fielder)
9 = RF (Right-Fielder)
This player might be tagged with a “DH” on lineup cards or scorebooks to keep track of his or her involvement in a game. (A designated hitter is not a defensive position and is not assigned a fielding number.
Baseball pioneers Henry Chadwick and MJ Kelly developed this numbering system at the end of the 18th Century to assist game scorekeepers in keeping track of all game actions.
How Baseball Position Numbers are Used?
For the purposes of recording all possible at-bats in a game (unless there are many extra innings), each team needed a separate sheet of paper. There may be 120 squares on a scorecard for a nine-inning game, depending on the style of the scorebook. In the middle of each row, players’ names would be listed, and to the right, little squares would be ready to be filled.
Diamonds are prefilled into these squares, representing bases at each corner of a baseball diamond. Scorekeepers note where actions occur on the baseline where a ball was put in play, put out, reached base, or advanced a base.
The number of outs for the inning would be written atop it to indicate a putout, and sometimes circled if it was a ground ball out from the shortstop thrown to the first baseman. The diamond would not be filled in since the batter failed to reach base.
F9 is used for fly-ball putouts, while F6 is used for pop-up putouts.
Plays in which the ball was thrown between players are indicated by hyphens or a plus (+) sign. Players who touch the ball on defense are noted. An unassisted putout, such as a runner tagged by a second baseman, is marked by a U.
The scorekeeper would mark 1B or H1 along the first-base line if a player played safely at left field with a base hit. In the diamond line between first and second base, 2B or H2 can be used to denote a double. The diamond would be filled in if the player hit a home run, indicating that he touched all bases and scored.
There are also easy strikeouts: either a K for a strikeout when a batter swings the bat; or a backward K for a strikeout when the batter just looks at the ball.
Baseball Scorekeeping Numbers
There are a number of reasons why this numbers system is important, including the obsession with statistics among baseball experts. Scorekeepers not only tally the game’s score, but they also can be crucial for post-game review for protests of umpire calls, or determining if a ball in play is a hit (which helps a batter’s averages), or if a fielder made an error (which counts as a putout for a batter).
There are several ways to record at-bats and hits. These include home runs, triples, doubles and singles. Defensive performance can also be gauged by fielding-position numbers. As well as putouts and errors by a shortstop, each putout and error can be counted. A fielding percentage can be calculated using those numbers, with 1.000 representing perfect play, and lower figures showing poor defense.
A game scorecard can provide an amazing amount of information, including the number of strikes and balls thrown by each pitcher, as well as the amount of force used by batters when they strike balls. Often, scorers draw straight lines or rainbows over a F9 putout to distinguish line-drive outs from bloopers or pop-ups
Find out more about baseball scorekeeping numbers
Players can razz one another with scorekeeping terms during a game. In other words, “Here comes F9! The right fielder is expected to pop an easy out to a new batter.
Stadiums are adorned with the letter K, meaning many strikeouts are expected or happening.
The defensive position numbers are sometimes used by players and announcers to identify gaps between fielders. Tony Gwynn, for instance, was well-known for hitting grounders or liners between the third baseman and shortstop by hitting them through the “5-6 hole.”
Sometimes (though rarely) the 6-4-3-2 play signifies a triple play. In addition, if the ball is thrown all over the field or even to outfielders creeping into the infield, there is no limit to how many numbers can be thrown.
There are different symbols used by different scorekeepers. It is possible for regions, leagues, or individual scorekeepers to use hyphens or math figures between fielding position numbers. Having an easily read and understandable scorebook is crucial.
What’s The Most Common Double Play In Baseball?
It is generally the batter who hits the ground ball that causes a double play in baseball. A ground ball that goes toward an infielder typically results in 90% of double plays.
As I already mentioned, 6-4-3 is the most common of these situations. A total of 482 double plays occurred in the shortened 2020 season out of 1,386 double plays.
4-6-3 and 5-4-3 are also common double plays.
4-6-3 Double Play
A 4-6-3 double play is performed by the second baseman (4) fielding the ball after it is hit by the batter, then tossing it to the shortstop (6) to tag him out at second before throwing it to the first baseman (3) and getting the batter out.
According to statistics, for every 100 6-4-3 double plays, 83 go 4-6-3.
5-4-3 Double Play
Known as the “around the horn” double play, 5-4-3 is the third most frequently occurring double play in baseball.
A runner escapes second base with the third baseman (5) throwing the ball to lead him out as the second baseman (4) covers the base.
A final throw from the second baseman reaches the first baseman (1), allowing the batter to be out first. It is estimated that 53 double plays going 5-4-3 will be made out of every 100 going 6-4-3.
You can also read: How Long Do High School Baseball Games Last?
What Is The Rarest Double Play In Baseball?
Multiple combinations of fielders can be involved in double plays.
Even interference or appeal plays can result in an outcoming in rare cases.
The most rare double play is probably 3-6-4 out of all regular double plays. The ratio of 6-4-3 double plays to 3-6-4 double plays is one to one for every hundred 6-4-3 double plays.
The runner is on first when the first baseman (3) takes a ground ball off the wall at first and throws it to the shortstop (6) who throws it to the second baseman (4) on first for the first out.
In order to make this play, the batter has to lay down a bunt, since the second baseman must cover first base during a bunt.
A bunt needs to be laid down by the hitter and fielded by the first baseman for it to happen.
FAQs
How come designated hitters don’t get fielding numbers?
It is not possible for a designated hitter to make plays that go into a scorebook since he or she does not play a defensive position. A “DH” is often logged next to the name of this player, however, to indicate where he or she fits into a game.
Who scorekeepers games?
In most cases, the scorekeeper is an amateur or a volunteer, and he or she is not interested in the outcome of the game. Often, members of the sports media score games in the major or minor leagues. Scorekeepers are usually assigned to the “home” team in youth baseball.
What is a Designated Hitter?
Unlike the defensive player, he does not play defense when batting for a defensive player. Most often, teams reserve batting cage time for pitchers as they are generally not good hitters due to their practice time being devoted to throwing. A player gets DH’d if he plays the field but does not bat.
Conclusion
It’s all we need to know who won a ballgame if we know how many runs each team scored. However, it does not give us a clear picture of what the game is about.
Keep track of all that goes on during the 9 innings of play before we get to the final score. It is therefore often considered important to keep score during a game. The scorekeeper is responsible for keeping track of everything that happens during a game.
Even a simple double play can be complicated to detail, especially if it is a complex one. The number assigned to each position is a shorthand for keeping things simple. In order to understand double plays and how they unfold, you need to know what number represents each position.