Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

Top of the 8th inning in game 12 of the Barnstormers Tournament, trailing 3-2. Rico Petrocelli doubles to lead off the inning. Vince Coleman is sent in to pinch run. After 2 outs, catcher Terry Steinbach is due up, and the defense brings in righty Horacio Pina in relief. HAL counters by pinch-hitting with Reggie who hits a clutch 2-run homer to take the lead. Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela is due up next, but with nobody on base and Relief Usage set to conservative he grounds out to end the inning.

There are 2 substitutions that must be made. First of all, someone needs to play SS for Petrocelli, and HAL correctly moves Cecil Travis from 3B to SS and brings in Tony Boeckel to play 3B. Now’s when it gets bizarre. In order to bring in a catcher to replace Steinbach, HAL decides to leave Reggie in the game (RF-4), move Oscar Charleston from RF to CF, move Mel Ott from CF to LF, AND PULL RICKEY HENDERSON (LF-1) FROM THE GAME! Henderson is batting .354, (with 10 SB in the first 11 games), and is due to lead off the next inning.

How does this make the least bit of sense? Has HAL been smoking some of his medicinal marijuana before games?

Perhaps more practically, why isn’t there an option on the Team Strategy page to turn off the double-switch? I’ve run into this sort of idiotic move many times before, but this is perhaps the worst.

This is an area that needs improvement in the AI---I like no-DH leagues, but Hal makes so many blunders with double switches after pinch hitting for the pitching that it is infuriating, also Hal almost never PH's with a one run lead (or more) to take advantage of a scoring situation--even if the pitcher is set to be removed with the 6 or 7 inning max checked---so after 3 years of online play I have grudgingly migrated to mostly DH leagues--just to avoid the AI boners--I call it the "Lose from ahead" AI manager.

Hal tends to PH in the right situations if you are tied or behind---I think an easier solution would be to create a switch In the pitcher prefs that would allow you to PH when ahead by one or more runs--It could be a pull down option (0 to 5 runs or something, maybe a 2 out bases empty option too) for each pitcher as you may not want to PH for a Kershaw with a 1 run lead, but definitely would want to with a 5th starter. That includes relievers too, you may want to keep your stud in in an extra inning game.

Yes, please give us an option to turn off the double switch, at least for some positions. I think it's a major reason why many players won't participate in non-DH leagues. It's gotten to the point where I'd almost rather not have a defensive backup because HAL keeps double-switching my good-fielding, decent-hitting SS out of the game for 0.56 Herman Long (3e32). Surely this can be a higher priority than the "redundant "add button?

What I hate is when the pitcher is PH for and instead of simply replacing the pitcher the PH is then put into the game and a starting fielder is removed. That keeps happening to me and I'm not sure how to stop it.

I stopped playing in non-DH leagues a few years ago because of this exact problem.

LMBombers wrote:What I hate is when the pitcher is PH for and instead of simply replacing the pitcher the PH is then put into the game and a starting fielder is removed. That keeps happening to me and I'm not sure how to stop it.

That's my biggest single complaint, by far!

And here's another scenario that drives me up the wall: My catcher gets injured in the 4th inning, and at the same time HAL brings in a replacement he decides to swap positions with my CF and LF. Why???? I put them where I wanted them to start the game!