A backward K represents the umpire’s third strike call against the hitter. This backward K means that the final strike against the hitter fooled them into not swinging. Since it looks strange on a baseball scorekeeping card, it stands out, which helps shine more light on that strikeout by the pitcher.
It was a critical component of baseball’s evolution in popularity. Chadwick developed the shorthand symbols used in scorekeeping, including K for strikeout. Chadwick used the letter K because it was the last letter in the word “struck.” The letter S was already used to denote when a base hit was a single.
K/9 rate measures how many strikeouts a pitcher averages for every nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing his strikeout total by his innings pitched total and multiplying the result by nine.
Run (R) Runs Batted In (RBI)
If the next batter hits a ball to the center fielder who catches it on the fly for the second out, it would be noted as F8, with F for flyout and 8 for the center fielder. (In some systems, the letter ‘F’ is reserved for foul outs.
Chadwick used S for sacrifice and chose K for strikeout. He did so because K is the prominent letter of the word “strike,” which was used more frequently than strikeout. Some scorers use a forward K for a swinging strikeout, a backward K for a batter caught looking.
The “Olympic Rings” or platinum sombrero applies to a player striking out five times in a game. A horn refers to a player striking out six times in a game; the term was coined by pitcher Mike Flanagan after teammate Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles accomplished the feat in an extra-inning game in 1991.
Another option - Use Insert –> Symbol, and in the Symbols dialog, choose Ariel for the font and then choose IPA Extensions for the subset. Down just about 4 rows you’ll see something that looks quite like an upside down (and backwards) lowercase K.
Strikeout and walks rates are extremely important for evaluating pitchers.Context:
Rating | K/9 | K% |
---|---|---|
Excellent | 10.0 | 27.0% |
Great | 9.0 | 24.0% |
Above Average | 8.2 | 22.0% |
Average | 7.7 | 20.0% |
K/BF: Strikeouts per batter faced.
F means Final, indicating the game is complete.
The E on a baseball scoreboard stands for Errors and is the number of errors awarded to the defense during the duration of the game. This number calculates all the defensive errors per team and gives spectators a general idea of how well a team is doing defensively.
Pitcher. A baseball position that is the player that pitches the ball to the catcher from the mound; often seen on baseball rosters, score cards, and fantasy baseball leagues; can also appear as SP and RP which represent the type of pitcher.
Hitting Abbreviations
2B | Doubles |
---|---|
BB | Bases on Balls (Walks) |
CS | Caught Stealing |
DH | Designated Hitter |
G | Games Played |
FA = fastball. FF = four-seam fastball. FT = two-seam fastball.
Name. Games by position. Error Rating, by position: E0 (best) through E10. Throwing Rating: TA (best) through TC for catchers; T2 (worst) through T5 for outfielders.
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions.
The baseball rulebook says that you can’t steal a base during a dead ball. However, unlike the hit batter or catcher’s interference situations, after a walk, the ball is live. This means that baserunners who are not forced to advance to the next base can still attempt to do so, at their own risk.
Nolan Ryan has the most career strikeouts in Major League Baseball. During a record 27-year career, he struck out 5,714 batters. The American League record is held by Roger Clemens (4,167 strikeouts), while in the National League, the record is 4,000 by Steve Carlton.
The American ‘K’, meaning strikeout swinging, would be scored as “K2” in Australia. A backwards “K” in America would be a “KC” here, and a “K” in Australia means a tipped third strike caught by the catcher.
Why Is BB Also Called a Walk. A BB (as per baseball BB meaning) is also called a walk because, in actuality (as per details defined in the baseball rules), a batter/hitter cannot legally walk towards a base. His only privilege to walk into a base is when he can avoid four straight balls pitched outside the strike zone.
In slang, when a batter strikes out three times in a game, he is said to have completed a hat trick. If he strikes out four times, it is called a golden sombrero. He receives a platinum sombrero if he strikes out five times, and this dishonor is also known as the Olympic Rings.