Jennifer Postal
SLM 521
Web Drop-In #3
Introduction
“Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd.” Watching a baseball game, in person or on
television, can be a fun experience. In
order to enjoy watching the game, it is important to have a basic understanding
of what is occurring on the field. The
object of the game is to score more runs than your opponent but there is a lot
of strategy that is involved. Baseball
statistics help a manager in determining his strategy in specific game
situations. R.B.I,
E.R.A., HBP, SO, AVG. If these
abbreviations sound foreign, you have come to the right place. Statistics are very important to the game of
baseball since they measure the performance of the all of the players.
Information
In order to answer the
questions that you see below, you will need to know the abbreviations of the
words. Listed in the chart below are the
definitions for some of the common abbreviations that you will come
across.
|
Abbreviation |
Definition |
How to
Use? |
|
AVG |
Batting
Average |
Divide
the number of base hits by the total number of at-bats |
|
AB |
At-Bats |
The number of times a player is sent to the plate and during his
plate appearance either reaches base or makes an out |
|
|
American
League |
One of the two leagues in Major League Baseball |
|
BB |
Bases on
Balls (Walks) |
Four balls in an at bat allow a player to go to first base |
|
E |
Errors |
When a fielder mishandles a ball that he should field |
|
ERA |
Earned
Run Average |
Multiply the total number of earned runs by nine, and divide the
results by the total innings pitched |
|
GP |
Games
Played |
The number of games that a player is on the field, either as a
pitcher or hitter |
|
H |
Hits |
The number of times a player records a hit |
|
HBP |
Hit By
Pitch |
The number of times a pitcher hits a batter with a thrown ball |
|
HR |
Home Run |
When a player hits the ball over the fence |
|
NL |
National
League |
One of the two leagues in Major League Baseball |
|
R |
Runs
Scored |
The number of times a player has crossed home plate |
|
RBI |
Runs
Batted In |
A hit that allows a base runner(s) to score on your team |
|
SB |
Stolen
Base |
Successfully advancing a base between pitches without the batter
hitting the ball or getting a base on balls |
|
SO |
Strikeouts |
Out recorded by recording three strikes on the batter |
|
W-L |
Wins
Losses |
The number of times a pitcher wins or loses a game |
Assignment
In order to help you
determine just who some of the best baseball players of all time are click on
the icon below. When you click on it, you
will need to visit the Major League Baseball website stats section. This part of the website will allow you to
answer the questions below. Be sure to
surf around in order to find all of the answers and make an informed decision. This assignment will be due at our next class
period. It is to be typed and don’t
forget to check for spelling. Have fun!
(link and
image property of Major League Baseball)
1.
Which player had
the highest batting average for the 2004 season?
2.
Who had the most
RBI’s during the 2004 season?
3.
Who had the most
wins as a pitcher during the 2004 season?
4.
Which pitcher
struck out the most players during the 2004 season?
5.
For the 2004
season, which Baltimore Orioles player had the most hits?
6.
For the 2004
season, which Baltimore Orioles pitcher had the most wins?
7.
In which year
did Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs?
8.
Which player was
hit by a pitch the most times in the American League during the 2004 season?
9.
In a few
sentences, describe which baseball statistic is the most important when
determining which player had the best season?
10.
Cal Ripken Jr., can
be considered one of the best players in Baltimore Orioles history. In a few sentences describe why you think he
should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.