HAL refuses to obey "avoid" and PH settings

This is really ridiculous. I have 2 LHBs in the 9th inning up against Chapman, both batters set to Avoid LHs, and a healthy Franklin Gutierrez on my bench, listed in strategy as my PH vs. LHs. I'm down by 1 run, and I get a runner to 2B with 1 out. What does HAL do? Leaves all my RHBs on the bench of course.

http://onlinegames.strat-o-matic.com/game/346689/547

Please SOM, please tell me why on earth HAL would not sub in a PH here?

The avoid LHP setting does not affect a batter already in the game.

This topic comes up over and over because many people don't understand this. If it did work this way, benches would rapidly deplete on teams that platoon a lot.

I still think you could have an extra option - avoid lh pitcher at all times, except when nobody is left on the bench. Then, you could get the Glenn Adams types out of the game against lh pitching. If you clicked this option on too many guys, you would run out of people on the bench. Therefore, on players who you don't want to be removed until late in the game, you would click the more general, avoid lh's. That would be part of the strategy.

Chuck

The avoid LHP setting does not affect a batter already in the game.

This topic comes up over and over because many people don't understand this. If it did work this way, benches would rapidly deplete on teams that platoon a lot.

That may be true Coyote, but it's not the point. Just as SOM has fixed a few bugs, they need to fix this one if the intent is to mimic real-life baseball. There is no way HAL should not expend the bench in the 9th inning when down by 1 run, or in any late & close situations (after 6th inning).

I'm not saying whether HAL should have pinch hit in your particular game. I am saying that the avoid-LH-pitcher setting you cited does not affect HAL's decision, and I gave the reason why it would create problems if the way HAL used this setting was "fixed."