Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:22 am
28.0 CLOSER RULE
This Super Advanced system encourages realistic use of relief pitchers, emphasizing the use of pitchers in late-inning save situations who were the real big-league closers.
Since 1992 (and for each of the oldtimer seasons Strat-O-Matic has issued since then) each reliever is given a second POW rating, call it "closer endurance." For example, a rating of "relief (2)/3" indicates a regular POW rating of 2 and a closer endurance rating of 3.
28.1 Closer ratings range from 0-6, with 6 being the big-league's most frequent and successful closers. If a relief pitcher is rated "N" for closer endurance, he should not be used as a closer.
28.2 Closer endurance is the duration, measured in number of outs, a pitcher can maintain his effectiveness in closer situations. In Strat-O-Matic, a "closer situation" is defined differently than a big-league save opportunity. Your pitcher will be in a "closer situation" whenever you have the lead in the 9th inning or later and the tying run is on base or at bat.
28.3 A pitcher may enter a game in a closer situation or a game he already has entered may suddenly become a closer situation. Here are some rules to govern both possibilities:
28.31 The closer rules do not affect the current game's starting pitchers, who always use their starter POW (even for starting pitchers who have ratings both as starters and relievers).
28.32 Each reliever enters the game using either his closer endurance (if the game is already a closer situation) or his regular POW rating (if the game is not currently a closer situation).
28.33 If the pitcher begins his appearance with his regular POW and the game becomes a closer situation, he changes to his closer endurance rating. At that time, reduce his closer endurance by the number of outs he has already recorded. This number cannot be reduced to lower than 0, unless the pitcher's closer endurance is "N".
28.34 Once a pitcher begins to use his closer endurance rating, that is his endurance for the remainder of his appearance, even if the score changes and the game no longer is a closer situation.
Example: A reliever enters the game in the bottom of the 9th inning with a 3-2 lead - a closer situation. The opposing team ties the score in the bottom of the 9th. In the top of the 10th, the pitcher's team scores four times. If the same pitcher remains in the game for the bottom of the 10th, he is still using his closer endurance rating to determine when he becomes fatigued.
28.35 The closer endurance rating is the number of outs the pitcher can record before becoming fatigued. Once this number has been reached, reducing his endurance rating to 0, he becomes fatigued as soon as he allows a hit or walk.
Example: A pitcher with a closer endurance rating of 0 will become fatigued as soon as he surrenders a hit or walk, while a pitcher with closer endurance of 6 can pitch two full innings without risking fatigue.
28.36 Any pitcher with a closer endurance rating of "N" is immediately considered fatigued with the first batter he faces in a closer situation.
28.37 As with regular POW, once a reliever becomes fatigued under the terms of the Closer Rule, out readings followed by dots become SINGLE** (all other baserunners advancing two bases).
28.38 When using the Closer Rule, also be sure to use the rule which limits a reliever's innings to his relief POW rating, plus 2. At that point, he automatically becomes fatigued.
