Strat-O-Matic Baseball 365

The 365 help page on how to read a batter's card states: "A '+' after the groundball means it is an automatic single if the infield is in or a runner is being held on." However the rulebook that comes with the Windows game contradicts the bolded. Rule 17.13 states "do not award a SINGLE** on a gb()+ while runners are being held on base," even if the infield is in. Thus it would appear the 365 help page should in fact read: "A '+' after the groundball means it is an automatic single if the infield is in unless a runner is being held on."

EXCEPT...it's not even possible to hold runners when the infield is in. Which makes rule 17.13 a nullity. A gb+ only becomes a single when the infield is all the way in. And when the infield is all the way in, runners cannot be held. Therefore there is no need to state that runners being held prevent a gb+ from becoming a single, because the only time a gb+ could become a single is when runners cannot be held. Do I have that right? Seems like I must be missing something, but it's all right there in black and white... I posed the question to Strat but haven't heard back so thought I'd post it here.

They wrote back and corrected the 365 help page. It now reads "A '+' after the groundball means it is an automatic single if the infield is in."

hello all of you in the past! I bring you greetings!

I have played the board game since the late sixties, and I have always played the A+ as being single** if infield is in or runner is being held.

how did I get that wrong? and if I'm not wrong, my question is: what numbers qualify a runner to be held on, and of what consequence is it to hold the runner if the A+ isn't a thing, in the internet 365 that I'm playing?

I'm forever trying to fit 'plus' guys behind stealers, but I have no idea when HAL holds a runner.

a farewell warning to you of the past: plainwrap beer will be sour and flat and everyone will wear masks .

I dunno how you got that wrong but considering the people who wrote the 365 help page made the same mistake, I guess that puts you in pretty good company.

gb+ only become a single when the infield is in. Runners can't be held when the infield is in. Therefore runners being held have no bearing on gb+. Holding runners still affects the game in a ton of different ways apart from gb+ though. In addition to the obvious effect of slowing down the runners in question, holds also decrease the range of the infielders involved in the hold, they improve the hit-and-run rating of the batter, they change some x-chart outs into singles, and maybe other things I'm forgetting.

Unfortunately 365 managers have no control over holds. Your question about when exactly HAL will hold in 365 is an excellent one that I too would like the answer to. All I've heard on the subject is that HAL is generally very aggressive and uses holds frequently. But I'd love to hear from someone with more specific knowledge than that.

In the late 60's when the game was basic cards only, the gb+ was a single if infield was in or a runner held.

As the advanced and super advanced rules appeared the rules evolved, now gb+ is only infield in---the runner held effect is tied in with the gbX now---

Holding a Runner on Base - super advanced rules

When holding a runner on base, refer to the following chart to determine which fielder(s) are responsible for holding the runner on base. The penalty for holding a runner on is as follows: If a gb( )X is hit to a fielder who is responsible for holding a runner on base, add 1 to that fielder's range rating when consulting SUPER ADVANCED FIELDING CHART. For example, with a runner on 1st being held and a left-handed batter up, a gb(ss)X reading occurs. Let's say the shortstop is rated ss-2 e2O. When consulting the fielding chart you should treat him as a ss-3 e2O. Note that if a player is already a 5 do not add 1 to his rating as 5 represents the maximum rating. In addition, when consulting the fielding chart for this fielder, all readings followed by the # symbol are treated as "SI2".

Table 1: Runner Being Held Chart
Runner being Held

Fielder responsible for holding runner on

Runner on 1st, left-handed batter

1B & SS

Runner on 1st, right-handed batter

1B & 2B

Runner on 2nd, left-handed batter

SS

Runner on 2nd, right-handed batter

2B

Runner on 3rd

3B