If the following hitter hits a ball to the center fielder, who catches it on the fly for the second out, the call would be F8, with F for flyout and 8 for the center fielder. (The letter "F" is reserved in certain systems for foul outs.) A fly out would so be scored as an 8'.
The batter then faces a pitcher from the opposing team. This is called a strike zone. The first area of the plate that the batter can target with a pitch is called the footplate. Above the footplate is the batter's head; below it is the knee cap. Anything else is out of the ballpark! Some pitches cannot be thrown at all outside this zone.
Thus, if a pitcher throws a ball within the strike zone, the batter will usually not try to hit it. If a pitcher throws a ball outside the strike zone, the batter has the right to swing at it. However, if the batter fails to do so, he or she is said to have walked on balls and strikes.
In baseball, when a batter gets a base on balls, they are given the opportunity to score any number of runs. To do this, they must take one step towards home plate and stop while the ball is in play. When a player reaches base on balls, it is common practice for the umpire to call for someone to come to the plate to face the pitcher. This is known as a pinch-hitter.
A fielder's choice (FC) is when a fielder chooses to try to strike out a baserunner rather than allowing the batter-runner to proceed to first base. Despite safely reaching first base after hitting the ball, the hitter is not given a hit but is charged with an at-bat. This occurs when a fielder retrieves the ball while a batter-runner is advancing towards first base.
In addition, if a batted ball is caught by one defender but allows another baserunner to advance 60 feet before being tagged out, that player is considered to have made a "forceout" and not allowed to return to the field of play. If this happens during your turn as a pitcher, the forceout ends your turn; however, if it occurs during someone else's turn, they can continue throwing and catching balls as long as they stay in their defensive half of the diamond.
Forceouts can also happen when a baserunner reaches first base on an error. In this case, the catcher must tag him out if he tries to advance further. An example would be if the catcher fails to catch a pop up and it goes off his glove and onto the ground. He then has to tag out whoever is nearest to him.
Finally, if a baserunner is forced out by a ball thrown by a fielder other than the catcher, he is said to have been "picked off".
FS/SI/SF = fastball (sinker, split-fingered) You'll see fastballs described in a variety of ways, given that pitchers throw a wide range of pitches that are all 90-ish MPH and have different characteristics.
SF-Sacrifice Flies: The number of times a player hits a fly-ball to the outfield or foul zone throughout the season that allows a baserunner to score but results in an out for the man at bat. Total Bases (TB): The total number of bases a player has taken while batting; one for singles, two for doubles, and three for triples.
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