AI settings question - pinch-hitting for pitchers

[thehef]

I do historical simming and I don't actually play out many games until the post-season. Right now I'm in 1960 and have noticed that when trailing in the 7th or 8th inning the AI mgr will NOT typically pinch-hit for a good pitcher if he's pitching well. This seems pretty unrealistic, even for that era. (Who WOULDN'T pinch-hit for your pitcher in the 8th when you're down 3-1?)

I know that there are individual team strategy settings that affect how quick to PULL starting pitchers, how often to pinch-hit "in general" and that in the overall era settings you can adjust how the AI handles these same things, but these are not specific (and least they're not 'labeled' to apply) to pinch-hitting for PITCHERS. So before I started jacking around with these settings, I was wondering if anybody knows of any particular settings that will somewhat correct this without over-affecting other things...

Thanks in advance.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by thehef

I do historical simming and I don't actually play out many games until the post-season. Right now I'm in 1960 and have noticed that when trailing in the 7th or 8th inning the AI mgr will NOT typically pinch-hit for a good pitcher if he's pitching well. This seems pretty unrealistic, even for that era. (Who WOULDN'T pinch-hit for your pitcher in the 8th when you're down 3-1?)

I know that there are individual team strategy settings that affect how quick to PULL starting pitchers, how often to pinch-hit "in general" and that in the overall era settings you can adjust how the AI handles these same things, but these are not specific (and least they're not 'labeled' to apply) to pinch-hitting for PITCHERS. So before I started jacking around with these settings, I was wondering if anybody knows of any particular settings that will somewhat correct this without over-affecting other things...

Thanks in advance.

Take a look on Retrosheet or Baseball reference and I think you will find that good pitchers finished a lot of games in the 60's. Seems to me that you wouldn't pinch hit for Bob Gibson or Fergie Jenkins or Steve Carlton if they were down by one or two runs in the late innings. So IMO it is realistic. If you don't like it the strategy and era settings can be changed.

[thehef]

I hear you, RchW, about good pitchers in the 60's, etc., finishing lots of games. But the point I'm trying to make can be illustrated with a game I'm in the middle of right now...

It's the '60 series, Dodgers vs Yankees. Whitey Ford and the Bombers are trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the 5th. Whitey has been far from sharp so far... The Yankees have a runner on a one out, but Mr. AI does not pinch hit for him...

Ok, I can let that one slide... But...

Now it's the bottom of the 7th. Dodgers have tacked on 2 more runs and lead 7-3. Whitey's given up 12 hits, 2 walks, thrown 107 pitches, and all 7 runs have been earned. Still, Mr. AI does not pinch hit.

THIS is the situation where I'm wondering if there's something that can be with some settings that will result in a more realistic scenario...

[RchW]

Originally Posted by thehef

I hear you, RchW, about good pitchers in the 60's, etc., finishing lots of games. But the point I'm trying to make can be illustrated with a game I'm in the middle of right now...

It's the '60 series, Dodgers vs Yankees. Whitey Ford and the Bombers are trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the 5th. Whitey has been far from sharp so far... The Yankees have a runner on a one out, but Mr. AI does not pinch hit for him...

Ok, I can let that one slide... But...

Now it's the bottom of the 7th. Dodgers have tacked on 2 more runs and lead 7-3. Whitey's given up 12 hits, 2 walks, thrown 107 pitches, and all 7 runs have been earned. Still, Mr. AI does not pinch hit.

THIS is the situation where I'm wondering if there's something that can be with some settings that will result in a more realistic scenario...

I agree that is a problem. Now I don't see that when I play out games from that era, but I do play around with strategies. I also find that if you change strategies to an AI run team in v6.5, those changes seem to stick until the next season.

I know this is not historically correct but consider reducing pitcher endurance or increasing Reliever use and the the AI may pinch hit more often.