Okay, so the other day I decided to really dig into the Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game, specifically focusing on tracking the player stats myself. It wasn’t about just watching the game; I wanted to get my hands dirty, you know?
Getting Started
First thing I did was grab a fresh notebook and a couple of pens. I thought about using an app, but honestly, doing it by hand feels more involved. I pulled up the team rosters just before the game started. Didn’t need anything fancy, just wanted the names and maybe their positions handy so I wasn’t scrambling later.
During the Game – The Nitty Gritty
Alright, game on. I started by just jotting down the batting order for both the Mets and the Pirates. Then, inning by inning, I tried to keep track of each plate appearance. This was the tricky part.
Here’s kinda how I did it:
- For each batter, I’d note down what happened. Was it a strikeout? A walk? A hit?
- If it was a hit, I tried to mark down what kind – single, double, you get the idea.
- I also kept a running tally of runs batted in (RBIs) if someone drove in a run.
- On the pitching side, I focused mainly on strikeouts and walks for the starting pitchers. Keeping track of every single pitch was a bit much, so I stuck to the main outcomes.
It got a little chaotic sometimes, especially during busy innings with lots of action. Had to scribble fast, and sometimes I’d have to pause the recording (I was watching a replay, made it easier) to catch up. I definitely wasn’t perfect. I’m sure I missed a stolen base attempt or maybe misclassified a hit here and there. It’s harder than just reading the box score afterward, that’s for sure.
I remember watching one of the Mets players, trying to see if he was getting on base consistently. And for the Pirates, I was paying attention to their starting pitcher, counting his strikeouts as they happened. It makes you watch the game differently, focusing on individual moments rather than just the overall score.
After the Whistle
Once the game finished, I looked over my messy notes. I tried to tally up the basic stats for the main players I tracked: hits, runs, RBIs for batters, and strikeouts, walks for the pitchers I focused on. It wasn’t super detailed like the official stats you see online, but it was my record of the game.
I didn’t bother comparing it religiously to the official box score. The point wasn’t to be 100% accurate; it was more about the process, about engaging with the game on a different level. It felt pretty satisfying to have this page of notes summarizing what went down, based on my own observation.
Definitely something I might try again. It’s a cool way to understand the flow of the game and appreciate the players’ contributions, even the small ones. Just need maybe a better system next time, perhaps some pre-made charts or something. But for a first real attempt, not too bad.
