Editing Baseball statistics (section)

==Development==
The practice of keeping [[document|records]] of player achievements was started in the 19th century by English-American sportswriter [[Henry Chadwick (writer)|Henry Chadwick]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Pete|author-link=Pete Palmer|author2=[[Paul Adomites]] |author3=David Nemec |author4=Matthew D. Greenberger |author5=Dan Schlossberg |author6=Dick Johnson |author7=Mike Tully |title=Cooperstown: Hall of Fame Players|year=2001|publisher=Publications International|location=Lincolnwood, Illinois|isbn=0-7853-4530-2|page=21|chapter=Birth of the Game}}</ref> Based on his experience with the sport of [[cricket]], Chadwick devised the predecessors to modern-day [[statistics]] including [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]], [[Run (baseball)|runs]] scored, and [[Earned run|runs allowed]].

Traditionally, statistics such as batting average (the number of hits divided by the number of at bats) and earned run average (the average number of runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings, less errors and other events out of the pitcher's control) have dominated attention in the statistical world of baseball. However, the recent advent of [[sabermetrics]] has created statistics drawing from a greater breadth of player performance measures and playing field variables. Sabermetrics and comparative statistics attempt to provide an improved measure of a player's performance and contributions to his team from year to year, frequently against a statistical performance average.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is sabermetrics? |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/sabermetrics-in-baseball-a-casual-fans-guide |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref>

Comprehensive, historical baseball statistics were difficult for the average fan to access until 1951, when researcher [[Hy Turkin]] published ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Baseball''. In 1969, [[Macmillan Publishing]] printed its first ''[[The Baseball Encyclopedia|Baseball Encyclopedia]]'', using a [[computer]] to compile statistics for the first time. Known as "Big Mac", the encyclopedia became the standard baseball reference until 1988, when ''[[Total Baseball]]'' was released by Warner Books using more sophisticated technology. The publication of ''Total Baseball'' led to the discovery of several "phantom ballplayers", such as [[Lou Proctor]], who did not belong in official record books and were removed.<ref name="ESPN">{{cite encyclopedia|editor=[[Pete Palmer]] and Gary Gillette|encyclopedia=The 2005 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia|title=Introduction|edition=1st|year=2005|publisher=Sterling|location=New York|isbn=1-4027-2568-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/2005espnbaseball00palm}}</ref>