Working the count

[rspencer86]

You have to be smart about it, though. If you have a power hitter up and are taking 3-0 fastballs right down the middle, you are missing opportunities to do damage just for the sake of running up the pitch count.

If a guy is pounding the strike zone, taking pitches is the last thing you want to do. Look to be aggressive and get some hits so he is forced to throw more out of the zone. Then you can be a bit more patient.

Early in the count, I am looking for a specific pitch or a specific location (or both). If it's in the strike zone but not in the place I'm looking, that's OK. When you get to two strikes, then you have to be protecting the entire zone.

[ShaBoomer]

I play by old school rules....

I look fastball until I have 2 strikes, then I protect the plate.

Keep in mind that the AI in The Show will adapt to your batting style. If you take a lot of first pitches, the AI will start to throw more first pitch strikes. If you free swing a lot, the AI will start to throw out of the zone to make you chase.

If you're a sucker for a certain pitch (we all are I think), then you'll see a lot of them until you show you can lay off.

If you check out your Universal Profile, on page 2, you can see what kind of a batter and pitcher you are in the game.

[bibibanax]

Yes, the CPU pitcher adapts to your strategy. If you always take the first pitch, when it will come to your second turn of your lineup, expect to see many first pitch in the middle of the zone.

Same thing if you swing at everything. They will throw sliders and change up nowhere near the strike zone.

My strategy is to take the first pitch, but with a power hitter or with 2 outs bases empty (or if the pitcher already throwed a lot of pitches in the inning), I swing and the success rate is high.

[ManiacMatt1782]

I kind of do I hybrid. I only swing first pitch, if I am sitting dead red on a location and it is right there. otherwise I let it go. I can work counts fairly well, and get some 7,8,9 pitch atbats after fouling off some close pitches with 2 strikes.

[Mitchrapp]

When I get 2 strikes I keep the bat on my shoulders until the last moment..foul off as many as possible until I get that pitch. No better feeling getting a 9-10-11 pitch at bat even resulting in a ground out.