At Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, in Charleston, S.C. — where Alex Rodriguez played recently for the Yankees’ Class A Riverdogs — a more traditional program with a scorecard included sold for $1 and did a brisk business. But the advertising-rich program sold at Yankee Stadium, which has a scorecard in the centerfold, costs $10. The mini pencil — inscribed “New York Yankees” — is part of the deal.

Many people said they wanted the program only as a souvenir and opted not to take the pencil. But Stephan Loewenthil of New Rochelle happily took it while forking over his $10.

“For me it’s still a bargain, and it’s not about buying a souvenir,” he said. “It’s about making the game more immediate, keeping me locked in.”

Loewenthil, 63, was taught to keep score by his father at Yankee Stadium when he was 6 ½ years old. His son, Jacob, 26, had no interest in continuing the pastime.

“It’s my dad’s thing,” he said.

Stephan Loewenthil shrugged and said, “The reason young people don’t do it is because the next generation is all about speed and efficiency, not about detail.”

Occasionally, a young person came along with an appreciation of creating a finely cluttered scorecard. Having driven from upstate Oswego, N.Y., to sit in the bleachers, Paul Oleyourryk, 15, planned to keep score the way his father taught him at Little League games.