Baseball 101 for Clueless Guys and Girls – Stats and Terms Revealed

by John Prett

We might be in COVID but we can still dream back to those times when we could actually see a sporting event. If these vaccines go as planned, who knows, maybe we will be watching baseball this summer outside.

There is no better date than sipping beers at a Mets or Yankees game. Most girls know the basics of baseball, but how many women know what the following means: RBI, ERA, WHIP, GIDP, E, BB, K, Zone rating.

There is nothing more impressive a woman who knows her stats. I have long dreamed of a woman who I can talk baseball with, but sadly few girls really know how the game is played. A guy doesn’t want to be explaining things the entire game, nor does he want you to not care about the game and seem bored.

Stress no longer ladies, you know longer have to fake it. Here is the Baseball 101 playbook that will help you impress your date when the next guy asks you to the ballpark for a weekend daytime game.

BASEBALL 101

Let’s skip the elementary things like there are 9 players on the field and jump right into the advanced level. We all know you scream when a home run is hit or your team gets an out.

I’m focusing on the meaning behind the stats, so when your date says, “Barnes’ OPS is ridiculous this season” you will contribute and say why they should have pitched an intentional walk.

BASIC HITTING STATISTICS

1B: Single

2B: Double

3B: Triple

AB: At-bat

BA or AVG: Batting average (number of hits divided by number of at-bats)

BB: Walks (base on balls)

FC: Fielder’s choice (when a fielder chooses to try an out on another runner, not the batter)

G: Games played

GDP: Grounded into double play

H: Hits

IBB: Intentional walks

HBP: Hit by pitch

K: Strikeouts

LOB: Left on base

OBP: On-base percentage (H+BB+HBP divided by AB+BB+HBP+SF)

RBI: Runs batted in

RISP: Runner in scoring position

SF: Sacrifice fly

SH: Sacrifice hit (bunts)

SLG: Slugging percentage

TB: Total bases

BASIC BASE RUNNING STATISTICS

CS: Caught stealing

SB: Stolen base

R: Runs scored

BASIC PITCHING STATISTICS

BB: Walks (base on balls)

BB/K: Walks to strikeouts ratio (BB times 9 divided by innings pitched)

BK: Balks

BS: Blown saves (when a pitcher enters the game in a save sit uation but leaves without the lead)

CG: Complete game

ER: Earned run (runs that scored without the aid of an error or passed ball)

ERA: Earned run average (total earned runs times number of innings in a game, typically 9, divided by innings pitched)

IBB: Intentional walks

HBP: Hit by pitch

G: Games

GF: Games finished

GS: Starts

H: Hits allowed

H/9: Hits per nine innings (hits times 9 divided by IP)

HB: Hit batsman

HLD: Holds (also sometimes H, when a player enters a game in a save situation and keeps the lead but does not finish the game)

HR: Home runs

IBB: Intentional walks

K: Strikeouts (also abbreviated SO)

K/BB: Strikeout-to-walk ratio (K divided by BB)

L: Loss

OBA: Opponents batting average

SHO: Shutout (CG with no runs allowed)

SV: Save (sometimes abbreviated S; when a pitcher enters a game at the end of the game with the lead (3 runs or less) and preserves the lead until the end of the game

W: Wins

WP: Wild pitches

BASIC FIELDING STATISTICS

A: Assists (When an outfielder throws out an advancing runner)

CI: Catcher’s interference

DP: Double plays

E: Errors

FP: Fielding percentage

PB: Passed ball (when a catcher drops a ball and one or more runners advance)

Now that may seem like a lot to digest, and while some of the stats above are rare, such as catcher’s interference, the list is a starting point.  It may seem like a foreign language to some, but that does not matter, just rattle off a few of these stats during the game and you’ll be good to go. If you can go to the game and know at least a few of these terms, you will not be lost with what is going on, you will be an engaged, good date.

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