Pitcher as Pinch Runner Revisited

[motnahp]

Tie game, 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th. Jeff Newman leads off with a double. He and his 22 SP represent the winning run. As manager, I scan the bench and see no one much faster. I have a couple guys, but their bats might be needed later. I click over to the pitchers and select Mike Norris and his 33 SP to pinch-run for Newman. Norris jogs out to second, where he stays and watches Picciolo, Henderson, and Edwards go down 1-2-3 and end the inning. Norris returns to the dugout, takes a seat, and grabs a bag of sunflower seeds. On we go, tied 2-2 into the top of the 10th. For those readers who were here 3 months ago, you know what's coming next. For the rest.....

Manager motnahp waved toward Dave Revering, but he was already headed up the dugout steps, first baseman's mitt in hand. It then appeared as if Revering hit some sort of force field at the top of the steps, as he could not enter the game to play first base!

Norris grinned. He remembered playing catcher last season after a similar pinch-running experience. He borrowed Newman's first baseman's mitt and headed out onto the field. Revering shook his head, grabbed a bat out of the rack, and started to squeeze the bat just above the handle. I pity the pitcher if Revering goes up to pinch hit. Meanwhile, Norris gets all the way out near first, then realizes he has no ball for the infield warm-up. Mario Guerrero (stuck on the bench because he can't hit OR run), grabs a ball and rolls it out to Norris.

In the top of the 10th, the Royals go down without Norris needing to make a play. In the bottom of the 10th, Dwayne Murphy wins the game with a 2-out homer. If he'd made an out, Norris would have batted in the 11th.

Despite knowing what will happen, I insist on playing/managing the game as it should be played or managed. Perhaps this problem can be addressed in a future patch or release. Managing a 162-game season, this will come into play 2-3 times per year and could mean the difference between a win and a loss.

[KG Erwin]

Lesson to be learned -- you don't use a pitcher as a pinchrunner. No offense intended, but this tactic seems a bit "gamey", doesn't it? Would a real-life manager ever consider doing this?

"Saving your batters" (?) C'mon, motnahp, you tellin' me you'd sacrifice a pitcher's arm for a batter's eye, so to speak? [:'(] [:D]

[motnahp]

Honestly, this happens several times in a season, almost always in extra inning games. It's usually a starting pitcher, one who recently pitched and is not going to be needed that game. Most of the time, you'll see it in NL games, when many bench players have already been used as pinch hitters. In this case, Norris had started two days ago, was not going to be used on the mound, and all of the "faster" position players were already in the lineup.

Not only that, he had experience,[;)] having done the same thing in my 1979 A's season. In hindsight, I should've just left the lumbering Newman in the game.

PS is wonderfully playable as is, but I feel there are a few small tweaks left to be done. This is one little example. Another would be for a pitchout to have some noticeable affect when the AI manager elects to hit & run.