In the game of
baseball, the
official scorer is a person appointed by the
league to
record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices. In addition to recording the events on the field such as the outcome of each
plate appearance and the circumstances of any
baserunner's advance around the bases, the official scorer is also charged with making judgment calls that do not affect the progress or outcome of the game. Judgment calls are primarily made about
errors,
unearned runs,
fielder's choice, the value of
hits in certain situations, and
wild pitches, all of which are included in the record compiled. This record is used to compile
statistics for each player and team. A
box score is a summary of the official scorer's game record.