Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

Would someone please explain how a base runner with no pickoff numbers gets picked off please?

If you're referring to the number(s) after the lead chance -- e.g., the "12" in *5-6, 12 (15-9) -- that represents an "automatic caught stealing", which is slightly different than a "pickoff". You go for the lead, you roll 2d6, it comes up (in this case) 12, the guy is caught stealing, end of story.

Pickoffs, on the other hand, work in the following way. On any steal attempt, there is a 5% chance of a potential pickoff. The chance that the pickoff will occur depends on the baserunner's second stealing number. To be safe, he has to roll that number or less on d20. So in this case, there would be a 55% chance that the runner would be picked off.

[quote:ef32de39ec="DeanTSC"]If you're referring to the number(s) after the lead chance -- e.g., the "12" in *5-6, 12 (15-9) -- that represents an "automatic caught stealing", which is slightly different than a "pickoff". You go for the lead, you roll 2d6, it comes up (in this case) 12, the guy is caught stealing, end of story.

Pickoffs, on the other hand, work in the following way. On any steal attempt, there is a 5% chance of a potential pickoff. The chance that the pickoff will occur depends on the baserunner's second stealing number. To be safe, he has to roll that number or less on d20. So in this case, there would be a 55% chance that the runner would be picked off.[/quote:ef32de39ec]

First of all I very much appreciate you taking the time to respond to this.

I am afraid that I am still a little confused however. The 5% likelyhood of a pickoff is based on a runners 2nd number, so does this mean that the baserunner tried to steal after failing to roll his "to go" numbers, in this case a 5 or a 6? And so the 5% happens when failing, so therefore a 2nd 1-20 roll takes place after the failure the establish a good lead. If I am correct in this, does rolling now a 1-9 in our example get one safely back to first, and a 10-20 result in a pickoff?

[quote:cb28bdcae3]The 5% likelyhood of a pickoff is based on a runners 2nd number, so does this mean that the baserunner tried to steal after failing to roll his "to go" numbers, in this case a 5 or a 6?[/quote:cb28bdcae3]No, the pickoff possibility is determined when you try to get the lead, and if the possible pickoff does come up, then the roll for the lead is ignored.

[quote:cb28bdcae3]does rolling now a 1-9 in our example get one safely back to first, and a 10-20 result in a pickoff?[/quote:cb28bdcae3]That part is correct, yeah. (It probably goes without saying that, even if the runner does safely get back, he cannot attempt another steal from that base, unless the pitcher or catcher is changed.)

Here is where you can find the rules (along with other important stuff), to reach the stealing and pickoff rules for super-advanced play you have to select board game rules and scroll down quite a bit. Hope this helps.

[url]http://somonline.wikia.com/wiki/Strat-O-Matic_Online[/url]

[quote:3c76655723="mykeedee"]Here is where you can find the rules (along with other important stuff), to reach the stealing and pickoff rules for super-advanced play you have to select board game rules and scroll down quite a bit. Hope this helps.

[url]http://somonline.wikia.com/wiki/Strat-O-Matic_Online[/url][/quote:3c76655723]


Thank you both. I now understand. This was very helpful!