A First For Me

kq76 · 12-01-2024, 04:59 PM

I did something I've never done before in OOTP, I asked a hitter to pitch. I half-expected OOTP to not let me do it, but it did. It just popped up a message notifying me that I had selected a position player to pitch or something to that effect. That was nice. In case, you know, you made a mistake. But I hadn't. We've been playing so badly lately that no matter what I try, we lose. And that's after starting the season 15-5! On paper we should be right up there contending with the best teams in the league, our mediocre rotation notwithstanding, but lately our previously dominant hitting just can't put runs together and now our bullpen is giving up bunches of runs too.

Anyway, we're down 11-2 in the top of the 6th and I'm just so fed up with our pitching that I say, what the heck, who's our bench player with the best pitching ratings? Well, they all suck, so I choose the guy I think I'll least likely need in case of injury. I warm him up and then in the top of the 7th I bring him in (I thought about bringing him in the middle of an inning, but I thought that'd be unfair to the previous reliever who had men on base). It goes about as well as can be expected: walk, flyout, flyout (oh wow, we might get out of this inning not giving up a run!...), double (run scores, hitter goes to 3rd on stupid throw to home), wild pitch (run scores), solo HR, solo HR. Okay, that's 4 runs. I've had enough so I bring in the reliever I started to warm up at the start of the inning. He finishes the game and we lose 15-4.

I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon. I suppose it was worth it to see the warning message. I liked seeing that.

Ty Cobb · 12-04-2024, 08:47 AM

I’ve never done this, despite temptations. Very cool story.

ohiodevil · 12-04-2024, 09:00 AM

I have done this in blowouts and trying to save the bullpen. I started a save with an expansion team and in our first season we were down 12-1 in the 6th to the Yankees, my starter went 1 1/3 and gave up 8 runs, my long man gave up 3 over 2 2/3 and my middle man went an inning but he was only about 75% when I brought him in. I went turned to Gavin Sheets thinking how much worse can it get.....he actually went 2 scoreless innings, walked 3 and gave up 2 hits but was able to get 2 double plays. We ended up losing the game 12-4 but Sheets made 3 other appearances over the 2 seasons he was on the roster, never allowed a run to score and recorded 2 strikeouts, one was against Juan Soto.

kq76 · 12-04-2024, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohiodevil

Sheets made 3 other appearances over the 2 seasons he was on the roster, never allowed a run to score and recorded 2 strikeouts

That's how I hoped, maybe even half-expected, it would go for my experiment. You see those highlights of position players who have decent pitching outings and you think, "pitching isn't so hard, just go out there and throw the ball over the plate". But of course the highlights don't usually show when it goes badly for those position players.

ohiodevil · 12-04-2024, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kq76

That's how I hoped, maybe even half-expected, it would go for my experiment. You see those highlights of position players who have decent pitching outings and you think, "pitching isn't so hard, just go out there and throw the ball over the plate". But of course the highlights don't usually show when it goes badly for those position players.

Right! I traded Sheets in that 3rd offseason and I usually tab one bench guy to be my mop up pitcher, this season (my 5th) that guy is Freddie Freeman, at 39 yrs old he is the locker room leader and may get 150 ABs total if he is lucky, the previous 2 season it was whoever was the utility infielder. Thankfully Freeman has not had to pitch (yet).

eauhomme · 12-09-2024, 01:16 AM

I had one time where I was playing the Mariners against the Rangers back a few years ago when the Rangers were all offense. The Rangers had been on a bad stretch and their bullpen was gassed coming into the series. In all three games, I took them for 20+ runs and in all three games they used position players in late innings.

12-01-2024, 04:59 PM	#1
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 11,486	A First For Me I did something I've never done before in OOTP, I asked a hitter to pitch. I half-expected OOTP to not let me do it, but it did. It just popped up a message notifying me that I had selected a position player to pitch or something to that effect. That was nice. In case, you know, you made a mistake. But I hadn't. We've been playing so badly lately that no matter what I try, we lose. And that's after starting the season 15-5! On paper we should be right up there contending with the best teams in the league, our mediocre rotation notwithstanding, but lately our previously dominant hitting just can't put runs together and now our bullpen is giving up bunches of runs too. Anyway, we're down 11-2 in the top of the 6th and I'm just so fed up with our pitching that I say, what the heck, who's our bench player with the best pitching ratings? Well, they all suck, so I choose the guy I think I'll least likely need in case of injury. I warm him up and then in the top of the 7th I bring him in (I thought about bringing him in the middle of an inning, but I thought that'd be unfair to the previous reliever who had men on base). It goes about as well as can be expected: walk, flyout, flyout (oh wow, we might get out of this inning not giving up a run!...), double (run scores, hitter goes to 3rd on stupid throw to home), wild pitch (run scores), solo HR, solo HR. Okay, that's 4 runs. I've had enough so I bring in the reliever I started to warm up at the start of the inning. He finishes the game and we lose 15-4. I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon. I suppose it was worth it to see the warning message. I liked seeing that. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project)

12-04-2024, 08:47 AM	#2
Ty Cobb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Grayling, MI Posts: 4,543 Blog Entries: 119	I’ve never done this, despite temptations. Very cool story. __________________ "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." Thanos

12-04-2024, 09:00 AM	#3
ohiodevil OOTP Roster Team Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Rocky River, Ohio Posts: 2,416	I have done this in blowouts and trying to save the bullpen. I started a save with an expansion team and in our first season we were down 12-1 in the 6th to the Yankees, my starter went 1 1/3 and gave up 8 runs, my long man gave up 3 over 2 2/3 and my middle man went an inning but he was only about 75% when I brought him in. I went turned to Gavin Sheets thinking how much worse can it get.....he actually went 2 scoreless innings, walked 3 and gave up 2 hits but was able to get 2 double plays. We ended up losing the game 12-4 but Sheets made 3 other appearances over the 2 seasons he was on the roster, never allowed a run to score and recorded 2 strikeouts, one was against Juan Soto.

12-09-2024, 01:16 AM	#6
eauhomme Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2022 Posts: 113	I had one time where I was playing the Mariners against the Rangers back a few years ago when the Rangers were all offense. The Rangers had been on a bad stretch and their bullpen was gassed coming into the series. In all three games, I took them for 20+ runs and in all three games they used position players in late innings.