THE WAY ERNIE SEES THE GAME
What really
counts?
A scorekeeper’s question about the numbers baseball celebrates—and the moments that decide a game.
A scorekeeper’s point of view
Not every important thing fits in a box score.
Batting average, slugging percentage and OPS offer different ways to describe a hitter’s performance. Ernie’s perspective asks readers to look beyond the familiar numbers and pay attention to what reaches the scoreboard.
The scorecard’s most meaningful mark
The little black diamonds
tell the real story.
Each filled diamond on a scorecard marks a run. When a runner crosses home plate, the scoreboard changes. To Ernie, those little black diamonds are the only jewelry that matters.
It is a simple way to refocus the conversation: not just on how a player moves around the diamond, but on the run that is recorded when the journey is complete.
A different way to keep score.
Ernie calls his statistic Production Average. It counts only what ends up on the scoreboard, and has no unofficial at-bats.
The idea comes from a simple conviction: a ballgame is not won by leaving home. Getting on base and advancing around the diamond are part of the story, but crossing home plate is what puts a run on the board.
This page introduces the principle behind Ernie’s approach. The full methodology and examples should be presented from the published book or an author-approved explanation.
Read about the book ↗