Couple oddities, play by play

[mpbarnet]

Playing in Play by Play mode for the first time ever, and I'm noticing a couple weird things...

Bases Loaded situations. I don't think I can go 4 games without a bases loaded walk. It is SUPER COMMON in this mode.

As well, runner on 3rd wild pitches. Not only do I see this happen almost at the same rate (maybe once in 6 games), but it is VERY COMMON for a game to end this way in walk off fashion. In the past season I just finished, playing out all 162 games, I had no less than 14 games end on a wild pitch with a runner on 3rd.

I'm not sure what the potential is for a pitcher to get rattled, but I very much picked up that some of my staff will handle an error well and continue to pitch normally. Whereas others, IMPLODE! I rather enjoy this touch of humanity in the game from the mental aspect. For instance, I have David Price. He can be throwing a no hitter thru 5 with 10ks, but, if there's 2 outs and there's a basic error in the field, its a guarantee that the floodgates open up. He's gonna plunk a guy, walk a couple, and start a string of doubles.

I'm actually in the habit of instantly visiting the mound after every error now to settle him down.

Visiting the mound. Other than giving the pen time to get going, does it have any other affect on the players?

Speaking of that, it would be nice if I 'over warm' someone up, that they would get tired and not be as effective. If I get someone up in the 3rd, and use him in the 7th, he should be toast already. As well, if I have someone ready, and sit him down, if he gets back up soon after sitting, it should not be like he is "cold"

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by mpbarnet

Playing in Play by Play mode for the first time ever, and I'm noticing a couple weird things...

Bases Loaded situations. I don't think I can go 4 games without a bases loaded walk. It is SUPER COMMON in this mode

.

If the AI is calling plays for both teams, the games will play out the same way whether you are watching them or not (unless you believe in a quantum theory of OOTP ). If you are calling the plays for one of the teams, then the results may differ.

So far in 2009, IRL pitchers are giving up walks with bases loaded only slightly less often then they are giving up walks generally (1/12.6 PAs vs 1/11.25 PAs). There is no reason to think that OOTP pitchers give up a higher ratio of walks when bases are loaded than they do generally. However, if you don't have the League Total Modifier set to produce realistic stats yet, BBs might be higher than they should be in all situations.

As well, runner on 3rd wild pitches. Not only do I see this happen almost at the same rate (maybe once in 6 games), but it is VERY COMMON for a game to end this way in walk off fashion. In the past season I just finished, playing out all 162 games, I had no less than 14 games end on a wild pitch with a runner on 3rd.

If the League Total Modifier for WPs has been calculated correctly, the frequency of runners scoring on WPs will be pretty close to what it is IRL -- at least based on a count I did at one time

Visiting the mound. Other than giving the pen time to get going, does it have any other affect on the players?

I don't believe it does, though some disagree. My contention is that if it made any difference, the AI would do it.

Speaking of that, it would be nice if I 'over warm' someone up, that they would get tired and not be as effective. If I get someone up in the 3rd, and use him in the 7th, he should be toast already. As well, if I have someone ready, and sit him down, if he gets back up soon after sitting, it should not be like he is "cold"

I agree with you on that, but it's an enhancement to the game that probably won't get a very high priority. One can rationalize that the guy warming up for four innings isn't really throwing all that time -- that he's in some sort of standby mode. It's reasonable to think that.

OTOH, sitting a guy down and then putting him back to warming up is another matter. That would require the game keeping track of his warming up in a prior inning, and doing calculations about fatigue, etc. That is not a likely enhancement to the game IMO.

[mpbarnet]

You just can't make this stuff up! First PBP game since I posted this earlier....

Starter begins to tire in the 6th. He's K'd 5, and walked 5, so he's burning up his pitches (at 110). He loads the bases, with 2 outs, and a string of lefties are coming up for the other team.

I summon my lefty from the pen, who promptly drills the first batter (forcing in a run), then walks the next guy on 4 pitches (forcing in another), before getting the 3rd batter to pop up.

Not sure what's what, but there are DEFINATELY a vast amount more of bases loaded passed balls, walks, and hit batsmen in this versus real life, regardless of what its programmed to do.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by mpbarnet

You just can't make this stuff up! First PBP game since I posted this earlier....

Starter begins to tire in the 6th. He's K'd 5, and walked 5, so he's burning up his pitches (at 110). He loads the bases, with 2 outs, and a string of lefties are coming up for the other team.

I summon my lefty from the pen, who promptly drills the first batter (forcing in a run), then walks the next guy on 4 pitches (forcing in another), before getting the 3rd batter to pop up.

Not sure what's what, but there are DEFINATELY a vast amount more of bases loaded passed balls, walks, and hit batsmen in this versus real life, regardless of what its programmed to do.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but you can't expect anyone to get excited about anecdotal evidence. You need a chart of how often it actually happens in real life and a chart of how often it occurs in your games.

As a side note: playing games out in one pitch mode, the game goes much quicker than real life and this lends itself to pattern recognitions that we don't see while watching an actual game. Many times these patterns seem like oddities, when in fact the patterns exist in actual games, but have just gone unnoticed to us because of the pace of play.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Questdog

As a side note: playing games out in one pitch mode, the game goes much quicker than real life and this lends itself to pattern recognitions that we don't see while watching an actual game. Many times these patterns seem like oddities, when in fact the patterns exist in actual games, but have just gone unnoticed to us because of the pace of play.

Excellent point! This is something that needed saying, but this the first time AFAIK.

[jasonn29tn14]

I agree with StevP on the bullpen issue. In some older baseball games if you left your reliever warming up too long he would be exhausted. IRL I doubt the bullpen coach would be down there telling your reliever to keep throwing after his 80th warmup pitch.