Baseball statistics: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Ball (baseball statistics) and On base percentage

A seemingly intrinsic part of the game of baseball is the keeping of statistics on the achievements of the players. It was started by Henry Chadwick in the 19th century who devised the concept of batting average based on his experience of cricket. Most of these terms also apply to softball. Commonly used statistics with their abbreviations are explained here:

Hitting statistics

• 1B - Single
• 2B - Double
• 3B - Triple
• AB - At bat
• BA - Batting average
• BB - Base on balls (also called a "walk")
• CS - Caught stealing
• EBH - Extra base hit (Sometimes EB or XBH)
• FC - Fielder's choice
• G - Games played
• G/F - Ground ball fly ball ratio
• GIDP - Ground into Double play
• H - Hit
• HBP - Hit by pitch
• HR - Home run
• OBP - On base percentage
• OPS - On-base plus slugging
• PA - Plate appearance
• R - Run
• RBI - Run batted in
• SB - Stolen base
• SF - Sacrifice fly
• SH - Sacrifice hit
• SLG - Slugging percentage
• SO - Strike out (also abbreviated K)
• TB - Total bases

• AVG - Opponents batting average
• BB - Base on balls (also called a "walk")
• BS - Blown save
• CG - Complete game
• ER - Earned run
• ERA - Earned run average
• GIR - Games in relief
• GF - Games finished
• GP - Games pitched
• G/F - Ground ball fly ball ratio
• GS - Games started
• H/9 - Hits per nine innings
• HLD - Hold
• IBB - Intentional base on balls
• IRA - Inherited runs allowed
• IP - Innings pitched
• R/9 - Runs per nine innings
• SHO - Shutout
• SO - Strikeout (also abbreviated K)
• SO/9 - Strikeouts per nine innings
• SV - Save
• TBF - Total batters faced
• W - Win (also related: winning percentage)
• L - Loss
• W+S - Relief wins plus saves
• WHIP - Walks plus hits per inning pitched

• A - Assist
• DP - Double play
• E - Error
• FP - Fielding percentage
• PB - Passed ball
• PO - Putout
• TC - Total chances
• TP - Triple play
• WP - Wild pitch

• Ball
• Strike
• Strike zone

• sabermetrics
• Official Baseball Rules, Section 10 - Scoring from http://www.mlb.com
• Find statistics for all of major league history at http://www.Baseball-Reference.com/