Position Numbers
The 1-through-9 numbering of defensive positions that lets a scorer write any play as a short chain of digits.
Old-school scorekeeping gives every defensive position a fixed number so plays can be written compactly. The numbering is: 1 pitcher, 2 catcher, 3 first base, 4 second base, 5 third base, 6 shortstop, 7 left field, 8 center field, 9 right field.
Once you know the numbers, any play becomes a short code. A ground out from short to first is 6-3. A fly out to center is just 8. A double play around the horn is 5-4-3. The shortstop being 6 (not 5, as you might guess from left-to-right) is the one number new scorers always have to memorize.
These numbers are the alphabet of a paper scorebook, and they're the same numbers a voice app maps your narration onto when you say "ground ball to short, out at first."
When you narrate a play, Bleacher Notes maps your words to these position numbers, so "six to four to three" becomes a 6-4-3 in your scorebook without you memorizing the grid.
What are the baseball position numbers?
1 pitcher, 2 catcher, 3 first base, 4 second base, 5 third base, 6 shortstop, 7 left field, 8 center field, 9 right field.
Why is the shortstop number 6 and not 5?
The infield is numbered out of left-to-right order by history: third base is 5 and shortstop is 6. It's the one pairing scorers simply memorize.
Let the scorebook keep itself.
Bleacher Notes scores every play from a single spoken sentence, applying these rules for you. In beta now, free for parents.