In MVP 2005 nothing feels better then working a CPU or human batter on the mound with two outs in the bottom of the 7th with runners threatning. Working inside. Outside. Hitting corners. Nibbling. Challenging. Having a batter foul off pitches. Take pitches. Knowing when to rear back and throw. Knowing when to take something off the pitch to rest up some of your pitchers stamina. Hitting sliders just on the corner. Getting that inning ending ground ball. Just being able to finese with your ACE pitcher. Or being able to overpower with your star reliever. Make's pitching in MVP 2005 exciting. Woo, gets me all jittery just thinking about it to tell you the honest truth.
So what I would like to try here, with the help of other posters, is to set-up a little Official MVP 2005 Pitchers Guide. I will provide some of my insights to the game and how to work effective as a pitcher. I will admit that I am not no minor league pitcher nor an expert pitcher. I am just going to do my best with what I think works in MVP 2005 and in real life pitching. I will probably be wrong in some aspects so hopefully you guys can correct me accordingly. But I also hope some of you guys will be willing to provide some of your secretps, tips and thoughts on pitching in this game. Once again, I am no expert and will sometimes get rocked by the CPU in this game (Pareds sliders). But there is also games where I am just painting corners like a modern day Vincent Van Gogh and I can just hear the computer working up some cheezy scheme to try and get an advantage (Ah, you must love that sneaky, scheming computer AI). And just as I am sure Vincent Van Gogh had his off days, ther will be days where I can seem to get a strike in those key situations and give up four or five walks. Or even worse, bring in a reliever only to fail ending the inning and walking a batter to load the bases. Either way, I am neither perfect nor a complete fool throwing up fat ones to Todd Helton because I like to run around in the outfield all day.
DustyAceAlright's MVP 2005 Pitching Guide: (Not Complete)
Before I start this up, I'd like to explain a little simple rule I use while pitching. Simply put, I have everything off (Strike Zone, Pitching Cursor) and Hot/Cold Zone's to fade. I have vibration on and it is a key part to my pitching. What I simply like to do is work corners. That way, I get a variety of strikes and balls, hence, getting some walks in the game. Which seems to relate while according to the realism factor as most pitchers try to hit corners to win ball games. Though, at times, some will just come with their power or junk and challenge a hitter. I try to replicate this the best I can in the game as ofcourse, there comes a time to just rev back and throw that 98MPH fastball by Gagne.
Pitches: I will give my best knowledge on some of the pitches in the game, though not all. Hopefully this is an area where you guys can help me out.
4-Seam Fastball: The most basic pitch in baseball, is also the most basic pitch in MVP 2005. Straight. Hard. Fast. Every pitcher from the minor leagues up has a four seamer. Some use it as a set-up pitch. Others as a strike out pitch. In order to be successful in MVP 2005, you must learn to distinguish whether your pitcher has enough movement and pop on the ball to get K’s with his fastball. If not, its probably best to use this pitch to set-up your other pitches.
2-Seam Fastball: The 2-seamer is a fastball thrown in a way to have movement on the ball. Usually either a slight vertical or lateral motion to the pitch. This pitch does not have the speed of a 4-seamer but has a slight movement to it (usually a slight cut or sink) that is likely to fool the better into a weak ground ball or fly out. The 2-seamer that has a particularly noticeable sinking or cutting action can sometimes be classified as a “sinker” (dropping vertically) or “cutter” (lateral break). A pitcher with a good 2-seamer can use the pitch low when a ground ball is needed to get a double play. It is also a good pitch to work the corners effectively, as the batter might take for a strike or hit the ball with the top part of the bat for a weak grounder or pop out. Should usually be thrown low and on the corners. A good pitch thrown “away” from a batter who bats opposite of a pitcher ( Right handed pitcher facing a left handed batter).
Cut Fastball: One of my favorite pitches in the baseball, a cut fastball is a pitch somewhere between a slider and a fastball. It is usually thrown with enough speed to be considered a fastball but breaks “slightly” in the same direction as the slider and curve ball do. What makes a good cutter devastating? Just ask Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. Or even Greg Maddux who knows how to work the pitch effectively to get outs. Don’t know either of the two? Then learn to master the pitch in MVP 2005. What makes a cutter so good is it is very tough on the batter to distinguish (hmm, I’ve said that word a few times) from a normal fastball. The cutter usually breaks along the horizontal plane with little downward drop, so the batter swings at it like a fastball only to have it run in on his hands for a weak hit. Mariano Rivera, has put many bats to an early grave with his cutter. If a right handed pitcher, work inside to a right handed batter to try and get a weak hit. Or work try to sneak one in on the outside for a strike. Against a lefty hitter, try to force a weak hit off the top of the bat by pitching on the outside. Be careful with his pitch because when you make a mistake trying to pitch on the inside, you usually leave the ball over the plate. And we all know how the CPU likes to juice up holding that joystick up and to the left.
Slider: The slider is an effective pitch in MVP 2005, one that I have yet to master as it takes a great deal of accuracy in order to effectively work the slider on the corners. The slider is not as fast as a fastball but faster then a curveball. It breaks laterally (down and to the right if your using a righty and down and to the left if you are using a lefty.) It can be a tough pitch to hit especially if its being thrown by a fire thrower like Randy Johnson. When I use a right handed pitcher with a good slider, I like to go for the backdoor strike against lefties. What this means is usually throwing the slider on the outside part of the strike zone (left side in the default MVP 2005 Hitting/Pitching view) where it appears to be a ball only to have it hit the corner for a strike. You must really be accurate with the pitch as the umps sometimes like to be tight on their strike zone. However, get an umpire who has a wider strike zone and this pitch is deadly. Against a right handed batter I like to use this pitch to throw away from his swing, hopefully getting a weak grounder or fly out to the right side of the field. I am trying to master throwing it inside on a right handed batter for a corner strike but usually when I miss with the pitch, I find it clearing the outfield fence. Learn to master this pitch and you’ll have the CPU/Human opponent on the OS Forums asking if anyone else can hit in MVP 2005.
Curveball: Fool me once with the curveball, shame on you. Fool me twice with the curveball, and you’re on your way to becoming an MVP 2005 ACE! The curveball is a slow breaking pitch that curves slightly to the left when thrown by a right-hander, and drops significantly. The curveball is one of the most effective pitches ever, freezing 17 year old high school jocks and making major league hitters in the prime of their career looking like knee buckling clowns. It has ruined arms and won championships. Hang a curve in the majors and it’s a homerun. Paint that corner or throw it in the dirt with an 0-2 count and you can have the batter grumbling all the way back to the dugout. In MVP 2005, learn to hit the corners with this pitch and throw it just below the strike zone to get K’s. That simple. You must be accurate, however, I can not stress that enough. Leave it over the plate and well…you’ll have to watch Ceasar Izturis trot around the bases. It is a hit or miss pitch, but you DO NOT WANT TO MISS with the curve anywhere near the strike zone. Freeze batters and have them swinging at air with this pitch. Thrown low, its deadly. Especially to your younger sibling who just can’t seem to lay off the pitch. Find an opponent who can’t lay off the curveball low, and you’ll be walking around the house like a little MVP 2005 Sandy Koufax.
Sinker: A sinker is a similar in concept to a curveball, however, is much more faster with a sharp “sink” as it nears the plate. Though the drop is less then the curveball, the sinker can get you outs in a jam. You should always try to keep the sinker low when facing a batter. It should be thrown more when you have a runner on first and second with 1 out and you desperately need to end the inning. When mixed up with a variety of other pitches, a sinker can get you strikeouts, especially when the batter is thinking fastball. When I get an 0-2 count, I like to set-up with a high fastball just out of the strike zone then come back on the inside and low to the batter with a meter full, perfect sinker to get the K. When you need ground balls, use this pitch low in the strike zone. You don’t always have to throw this pitch for strikes for it to be effective.
Changeup: The changeup is almost mandatory for any major league pitcher. Even if the difference between their fastball and changeup is only a few MPH lower, a changeup is a must to keep hitters off balanced. And in pitching, that is key. And a changeup can do just that as it is designed to wreck a batters balance or timing. A lot of times the change up will be hit hard but foul as the batter is probably ahead on the pitch. It can also freeze the batter who just can’t pull that trigger Tom Glavine and Greg Madduxed relied heavly on this pitch in their Brave’s Dynasty in the 90’s and so should you if you want to be an effective pitcher. If you use your fastball to set this pitch up, you can win ball games. Throw a fast ball hard and inside then paint the outside corner with a change and you can get you team up to bat. When you throw this pitch, keep in mind that you are throwing it to throw off the timing of a batter. Simple as that. Throwing off an opponents timing. If you got a pitcher with a hard fastball and nasty change your on your way for a plus 6K’s day. Against the CPU, you are simply trying to keep their little microchip brain off balance. Oh, and never throw a change up to a pitcher, please!
*I would like to add some more things up in a bit, I just wanted to get this up for you guys to read. I know I am missing some pitches so hopefully someone can give their two cents on certain pitches like the slurve and circle change. I will try to add those pitches sometimes soon. I would also like to post up a guide/chart on certain ways to pitch "Power Hitters, Contact Hitters, Weak Hitters, Pitchers, Lead Off Batters and Average Batters". Like I said earlier, I am no expert at this stuff and I can be wrong in some areas. Mabye you guys know how to use certain pitches more effectively in the game and I for one would sure like to hear it. Maybe you know how to get K's using a certain technique and I know a lot of people on these forums would be eager to know. Whats your favorite pitch? How do you use it? How do you get K's in the game. How do you pitch Todd Helton? How to throw the slurve? All little things you can respond to here in this thread.
So what I would like to try here, with the help of other posters, is to set-up a little Official MVP 2005 Pitchers Guide. I will provide some of my insights to the game and how to work effective as a pitcher. I will admit that I am not no minor league pitcher nor an expert pitcher. I am just going to do my best with what I think works in MVP 2005 and in real life pitching. I will probably be wrong in some aspects so hopefully you guys can correct me accordingly. But I also hope some of you guys will be willing to provide some of your secretps, tips and thoughts on pitching in this game. Once again, I am no expert and will sometimes get rocked by the CPU in this game (Pareds sliders). But there is also games where I am just painting corners like a modern day Vincent Van Gogh and I can just hear the computer working up some cheezy scheme to try and get an advantage (Ah, you must love that sneaky, scheming computer AI). And just as I am sure Vincent Van Gogh had his off days, ther will be days where I can seem to get a strike in those key situations and give up four or five walks. Or even worse, bring in a reliever only to fail ending the inning and walking a batter to load the bases. Either way, I am neither perfect nor a complete fool throwing up fat ones to Todd Helton because I like to run around in the outfield all day.
DustyAceAlright's MVP 2005 Pitching Guide: (Not Complete)
Before I start this up, I'd like to explain a little simple rule I use while pitching. Simply put, I have everything off (Strike Zone, Pitching Cursor) and Hot/Cold Zone's to fade. I have vibration on and it is a key part to my pitching. What I simply like to do is work corners. That way, I get a variety of strikes and balls, hence, getting some walks in the game. Which seems to relate while according to the realism factor as most pitchers try to hit corners to win ball games. Though, at times, some will just come with their power or junk and challenge a hitter. I try to replicate this the best I can in the game as ofcourse, there comes a time to just rev back and throw that 98MPH fastball by Gagne.
Pitches: I will give my best knowledge on some of the pitches in the game, though not all. Hopefully this is an area where you guys can help me out.
4-Seam Fastball: The most basic pitch in baseball, is also the most basic pitch in MVP 2005. Straight. Hard. Fast. Every pitcher from the minor leagues up has a four seamer. Some use it as a set-up pitch. Others as a strike out pitch. In order to be successful in MVP 2005, you must learn to distinguish whether your pitcher has enough movement and pop on the ball to get K’s with his fastball. If not, its probably best to use this pitch to set-up your other pitches.
2-Seam Fastball: The 2-seamer is a fastball thrown in a way to have movement on the ball. Usually either a slight vertical or lateral motion to the pitch. This pitch does not have the speed of a 4-seamer but has a slight movement to it (usually a slight cut or sink) that is likely to fool the better into a weak ground ball or fly out. The 2-seamer that has a particularly noticeable sinking or cutting action can sometimes be classified as a “sinker” (dropping vertically) or “cutter” (lateral break). A pitcher with a good 2-seamer can use the pitch low when a ground ball is needed to get a double play. It is also a good pitch to work the corners effectively, as the batter might take for a strike or hit the ball with the top part of the bat for a weak grounder or pop out. Should usually be thrown low and on the corners. A good pitch thrown “away” from a batter who bats opposite of a pitcher ( Right handed pitcher facing a left handed batter).
Cut Fastball: One of my favorite pitches in the baseball, a cut fastball is a pitch somewhere between a slider and a fastball. It is usually thrown with enough speed to be considered a fastball but breaks “slightly” in the same direction as the slider and curve ball do. What makes a good cutter devastating? Just ask Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. Or even Greg Maddux who knows how to work the pitch effectively to get outs. Don’t know either of the two? Then learn to master the pitch in MVP 2005. What makes a cutter so good is it is very tough on the batter to distinguish (hmm, I’ve said that word a few times) from a normal fastball. The cutter usually breaks along the horizontal plane with little downward drop, so the batter swings at it like a fastball only to have it run in on his hands for a weak hit. Mariano Rivera, has put many bats to an early grave with his cutter. If a right handed pitcher, work inside to a right handed batter to try and get a weak hit. Or work try to sneak one in on the outside for a strike. Against a lefty hitter, try to force a weak hit off the top of the bat by pitching on the outside. Be careful with his pitch because when you make a mistake trying to pitch on the inside, you usually leave the ball over the plate. And we all know how the CPU likes to juice up holding that joystick up and to the left.
Slider: The slider is an effective pitch in MVP 2005, one that I have yet to master as it takes a great deal of accuracy in order to effectively work the slider on the corners. The slider is not as fast as a fastball but faster then a curveball. It breaks laterally (down and to the right if your using a righty and down and to the left if you are using a lefty.) It can be a tough pitch to hit especially if its being thrown by a fire thrower like Randy Johnson. When I use a right handed pitcher with a good slider, I like to go for the backdoor strike against lefties. What this means is usually throwing the slider on the outside part of the strike zone (left side in the default MVP 2005 Hitting/Pitching view) where it appears to be a ball only to have it hit the corner for a strike. You must really be accurate with the pitch as the umps sometimes like to be tight on their strike zone. However, get an umpire who has a wider strike zone and this pitch is deadly. Against a right handed batter I like to use this pitch to throw away from his swing, hopefully getting a weak grounder or fly out to the right side of the field. I am trying to master throwing it inside on a right handed batter for a corner strike but usually when I miss with the pitch, I find it clearing the outfield fence. Learn to master this pitch and you’ll have the CPU/Human opponent on the OS Forums asking if anyone else can hit in MVP 2005.
Curveball: Fool me once with the curveball, shame on you. Fool me twice with the curveball, and you’re on your way to becoming an MVP 2005 ACE! The curveball is a slow breaking pitch that curves slightly to the left when thrown by a right-hander, and drops significantly. The curveball is one of the most effective pitches ever, freezing 17 year old high school jocks and making major league hitters in the prime of their career looking like knee buckling clowns. It has ruined arms and won championships. Hang a curve in the majors and it’s a homerun. Paint that corner or throw it in the dirt with an 0-2 count and you can have the batter grumbling all the way back to the dugout. In MVP 2005, learn to hit the corners with this pitch and throw it just below the strike zone to get K’s. That simple. You must be accurate, however, I can not stress that enough. Leave it over the plate and well…you’ll have to watch Ceasar Izturis trot around the bases. It is a hit or miss pitch, but you DO NOT WANT TO MISS with the curve anywhere near the strike zone. Freeze batters and have them swinging at air with this pitch. Thrown low, its deadly. Especially to your younger sibling who just can’t seem to lay off the pitch. Find an opponent who can’t lay off the curveball low, and you’ll be walking around the house like a little MVP 2005 Sandy Koufax.
Sinker: A sinker is a similar in concept to a curveball, however, is much more faster with a sharp “sink” as it nears the plate. Though the drop is less then the curveball, the sinker can get you outs in a jam. You should always try to keep the sinker low when facing a batter. It should be thrown more when you have a runner on first and second with 1 out and you desperately need to end the inning. When mixed up with a variety of other pitches, a sinker can get you strikeouts, especially when the batter is thinking fastball. When I get an 0-2 count, I like to set-up with a high fastball just out of the strike zone then come back on the inside and low to the batter with a meter full, perfect sinker to get the K. When you need ground balls, use this pitch low in the strike zone. You don’t always have to throw this pitch for strikes for it to be effective.
Changeup: The changeup is almost mandatory for any major league pitcher. Even if the difference between their fastball and changeup is only a few MPH lower, a changeup is a must to keep hitters off balanced. And in pitching, that is key. And a changeup can do just that as it is designed to wreck a batters balance or timing. A lot of times the change up will be hit hard but foul as the batter is probably ahead on the pitch. It can also freeze the batter who just can’t pull that trigger Tom Glavine and Greg Madduxed relied heavly on this pitch in their Brave’s Dynasty in the 90’s and so should you if you want to be an effective pitcher. If you use your fastball to set this pitch up, you can win ball games. Throw a fast ball hard and inside then paint the outside corner with a change and you can get you team up to bat. When you throw this pitch, keep in mind that you are throwing it to throw off the timing of a batter. Simple as that. Throwing off an opponents timing. If you got a pitcher with a hard fastball and nasty change your on your way for a plus 6K’s day. Against the CPU, you are simply trying to keep their little microchip brain off balance. Oh, and never throw a change up to a pitcher, please!
*I would like to add some more things up in a bit, I just wanted to get this up for you guys to read. I know I am missing some pitches so hopefully someone can give their two cents on certain pitches like the slurve and circle change. I will try to add those pitches sometimes soon. I would also like to post up a guide/chart on certain ways to pitch "Power Hitters, Contact Hitters, Weak Hitters, Pitchers, Lead Off Batters and Average Batters". Like I said earlier, I am no expert at this stuff and I can be wrong in some areas. Mabye you guys know how to use certain pitches more effectively in the game and I for one would sure like to hear it. Maybe you know how to get K's using a certain technique and I know a lot of people on these forums would be eager to know. Whats your favorite pitch? How do you use it? How do you get K's in the game. How do you pitch Todd Helton? How to throw the slurve? All little things you can respond to here in this thread.
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