How to read a baseball box score and a pitcher's line, step by step

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A box score packs an entire baseball game into a small grid of letters and numbers. Once you know the abbreviations, you can reconstruct a surprising amount of what happened without having watched a pitch. Here is how to read one, from the line score at the top to the pitchers at the bottom.

The line score

At the top is a summary with one column per inning.

Each number is the runs that team scored in that inning. An x in the bottom of the ninth means the home team was already winning and did not need to bat.
R, H and E at the end show total runs, hits and errors for each team.
The visiting team is listed first, because it bats first.

The batting lines

Each player who batted gets a row. The common columns are:

AB, at-bats. Plate appearances that count towards batting average. Walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices are not at-bats.
R, runs. Times the player crossed home plate.
H, hits.
RBI, runs batted in. Runs that scored because of the batter's action, such as a hit or a sacrifice fly.
BB, walks. Bases on balls.
SO or K, strikeouts.
AVG, the player's season batting average after this game.
LOB, runners left on base. A team total of runners stranded is often shown too.

Players who came in during the game are indented under the player they replaced, with a note such as a pinch hitter or a defensive substitution.

Notes below the batting lines

Under the grid you will find extra-base hits and other details.

2B, 3B and HR list doubles, triples and home runs, often with the pitcher and inning.
SB and CS are stolen bases and times caught stealing.
E names who committed errors.
DP shows double plays turned by the fielding side.

Reading a pitcher's line

Each pitcher who appeared gets a row, in the order they pitched.

IP, innings pitched. Written in thirds. 6.1 means six innings and one out, and 6.2 means six innings and two outs. It never reads 6.3.
H, hits allowed.
R, runs allowed.
ER, earned runs. Runs that would have scored without fielding errors. Runs caused by errors are unearned and do not count against the pitcher's earned run average.
BB, walks issued.
SO, strikeouts.
HR, home runs allowed.
ERA, the season earned run average, meaning earned runs allowed per nine innings.
Pitches and strikes are often shown as a pair, such as 98-64, which tells you how efficient the pitcher was.

Decisions next to the names

W and L show the winning and losing pitchers, with their season records.
S, a save, goes to a relief pitcher who finishes a win while protecting a narrow lead under set conditions.
H, a hold, credits a reliever who kept a save situation intact before handing over.
BS, a blown save, marks a reliever who let a lead slip in a save situation.

What a quick read can tell you

Compare hits and runs. A team with many hits and few runs probably left plenty of runners on base.
Look at the starter's innings. A short start usually means a busy night for the bullpen.
Check earned versus total runs. A gap points to fielding mistakes.
Scan the extra-base hits to see where the damage was done.

Found an abbreviation that still puzzles you? Ask about it in the comments.