Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

In one of last night's ATG 8 games, I saw HAL make one of the most boneheaded, incompetent and unrealistic managerial moves I have ever seen.

It's the top of the 9th with the score tied 1 to 1. Brooks Robinson leads off and grounds out. Smokey Burgess comes up and hits a single. Does HAL pinch run for Burgess, a notoriously slow runner, with the speedy Ralph Garr? No, not yet. As you will see, HAL has a far more baseball savvy move up his sleeve. But fair enough--Why waste the pinch runner unless he's going to come into the game already in scoring position? (As an aside, never mind that Garr is an "A" base stealer.)

So the next batter, Don Kessinger, steps to the plate. Now, Kessinger has been struggling at the plate in this game, so why not have Kessinger bunt. After all, he has a rating of "A" when it comes to bunting. If Kessinger successfully moves Burgess to second, then you bring in Garr to run for Burgess and call up Nellie Fox to pinch hit for the pitcher. Fox would have to face Jay Witasick, a solid right-hander out of my opponent's bull pen, but he hits right handed pitchers well and a single with two outs will most likely score Garr from second, unless it's a * single, since Garr would be running on any hit ball with two outs and that causes his running rating to increase to 1-19. If he scores, I can bring in Gagne or Franco to close out the game out. If he doesn't score, I'm back to the top of the lineup next time at bat.

On the other hand, if Kessinger blows the bunt and they nail Burgess at second, I still have a fast runner on first, as Kessinger has a 1-15 running rating. Kessinger could try to steal second, and if he's successful I have Fox or Garr to pinch hit with Kessinger in scoring position. If Kessinger gets nailed trying to steal second, I get another inning out of Steve Carlton. Or, if I didn't want to take any risk, I could just let Steve Carlton take his swings. If Carlton gets out, I still have him pitching for at least one more inning and, again, I'm back to the top of my line up when my team comes to bat in the next inning.

So, what did HAL decide to do? He let Kessinger swing away and Kessinger struck out. That's an acceptable choice, but what occurs next is sheer stupidity. HAL--in his infinite baseball wisdom-- then brings Garr into run for Burgess with two outs and lets Carlton bat for himself. Carlton, of course, grounds out and the inning is over. Eventually, I lost this game by a score of 2-1 in 18 innings.

I don't mind losing games--that's baseball. However, I hate watching a program mismanage my team in such an unrealistic and incompetent manner. No major league manager would have called in a pinch runner to go to first with two outs and then let the pitcher hit.

I stopped playing this game a while ago, but I still had one credit left. I decided to give it another try. But when I see things like this, I wonder why I still play On-Line Strat.

At least HAL didn't have Burgess attempt to steal. Now that would have been boneheaded. My favorite HAL move is sending in a pinch runner for the guy on third with two outs.

All which serves as another good example of why Strat simply (although I guess it must not be simple) doesn't modify the Windows/PC game to properly fit this online interface. Having been gone for years, I am very slightly attracted to the play-by-play feature (okay, I admit I went through a game once and it bored the hell out of me), but am taken aback by the emphasis on that and showing the actual rolls (this I like...heck it can even answer the age-old "does Cap Anson really not have an injury against righties card?") instead of "simply" setting everything up like Netplay, but w/o the MANY glitchy/costly aspects of that.

Still, there is a small part of me/us that must like these bonehead managerial decisions. They always make for good reading, as did your report. It like rubber-necking a car crash, I suppose. Thanks!

Scot/Frannyzoo

What year card were you using? Steve Carlton actually was used as a pinch hitter for the Phillies so leaving him in if it is either the 77 or 82 card is actually quite understandable. The not bunting seems to be a bad decisions and doesn't make much sense unless you have bunting set to conservative. Hal normally would bunt in that circumstance.

"My favorite HAL move is sending in a pinch runner for the guy on third with two outs."


classic.


maybe the buy stubbed his toe kicking the bag at third to clear his spikes after he got there... realism at its best. that's a little TOO real, though.

Jimbo123 - Could you post a link to the game?

What were Kessinger's bunt settings; the team bunt settings?

As mentioned earlier - which Carlton card were you using? How much different was this pitcher's hitting card from your best available pinch-hitter?

Many of HAL's decisions will not make much sense - at least you would do it different if face-to-face - but sometimes instructions you gave him, like bunt settings, may be the reason for the seemingly poor decision.

I don't know how to post a link to the game, but here's the pertinent information.

Steve Carlton's card is from 1972 and he's rated as a 3NL. I had Nellie Fox (1955 card) available to pinch hit. Fox's card is balanced 3R. He hits .311 with a .364 OBP, and has a rating of N for power. There's no legitimate excuse for failing to bring him in, as his card is superior to Carlton's 3NL pitcher's hitting card.

With respect to Kessinger, he's a "A" bunter. The team strategy for bunting was set to normal and no boxes were checked on his personal settings. It seems to me that would be an ideal situation to bunt and move the runner into scoring position under "normal" circumstances.

Thanks for the info. To post a link just go to the play by play description of that game and copy and paste that URL into the message.

I commiserate with you on HAL's decision. I doubt it is any consolation - but HAL also screws up decisions for your opponents also - so HAL will lose you some but also win you a few too in the long run.

In this case the only thing I can think of that might have helped would be to check both sac bunt "more" and hit and run "more" for Kessinger on the Hitter Preferences screen. Since he is a weak hitter with an "A" bunt rating and a "B" Hit & Run rating this will more likely get him bunting in bunt situations and the Hit & Run option may give better outcomes for Kessinger than his pitcher/hitter card outcomes might provide.

I do agree though that HAL makes some goofy decisions (but so does Mike Matheny).

play the online game i can tell for years this strat is prejudice any league i get in if there is a new york team in it im doomed they controll the wins that way make it interesting look at last night i killed this team 19 to 0 dint even get a mention but when they beat me 8 zip its all over the news

I hear ya beantown