Runner on 1st = double play?

[sportsgamer5761]

No matter where the pitch is thrown, I seem to hit into a ground ball double play almost literally every time a runner is on 1st. Any suggestions? By the way, I play on All-Star, zone hitting, default sliders. Thanks.

[daddies3angels]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Have to get pitch up in zone. Pitchers try to pitch down so have to be patient

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[countryboy]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Look for pitches up in the zone primarily. If you must swing at a pitch lower in the zone, do your best to get underneath it a bit or square it up.

[Detroitfan4life1993]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Maybe try doing a hit and run to stay out of the double play every once in a while.

[bukktown]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

I know "from extensive experience" that bases loaded, 1 out = double play

At least for me

[strawberryshortcake]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Bunt and move the runner over to second.

[Panopticism]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

As stated, you have to wait for a pitch up in the zone, bunt the runner over, hit and run, etc. Alternatively, the pitchers are a lot more likely to throw wild pitches when there's someone on base(especially in scoring position, but even on first), so you can use those low pitches that they're trying to get you to hit into the double play against them when they end up too low.

If the baserunner is competent enough, you can take one extra leadoff step and often get the pitcher to waste a couple of pitches in trying to catch the baserunner trying to steal.

[The Chef]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Honestly the double play is so vastly overdone in this game and has been for a couple years I dont see anyway around it. Ive tried everything, I firmly believe the game is setup to provide double plays at a completely unrealistic clip regardless. Ive read countless people give the advice of "wait for a pitch up in the zone", I cant count the amount of times Ive still hit into double plays on balls belt high that just get beat into the ground regardless. You swing at anything higher and its a damn near guaranteed pop-up. Like another poster mentioned in a PM to me, the CPU is far too good at hitting the bottom of the zone the moment a guy gets on first, same SP can struggle with command but the moment a runner gets on first the guy has pin point control down, he will still miss outside and inside but rarely leaves anything up, and like I said, even when he does its another double play anyways. I'm using directional for hitting, as thats my preferred hitting and has been since I started playing, so to top it all off Im at the complete mercy of the games engine, which again seems ridiculously skewed towards producing ground balls with a runner on first no matter where the pitch is and who's hitting. I've been praying they would address this for a couple years now and at this point Ive given up all hope as clearly it isnt going to happen.

[Jr.]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

I would say about 50% of the pitches that I hit with a runner at 1st end up in a double play. The defense turns them way too easy in the game with every throw being right on the money for the feed at 2B. I see more 360 spinning throws that are bullets right to the chest of the guy at second in this game than I've ever seen in real life.

This leads to my biggest issue with The Show. Errors seem to be completely random rather than being related to the actual difficulty of the play attempting to be made. Sure MLB players will duff a routine grounder or airmail a routine throw, but they seem to boot those plays more often in the game than a throw moving to their glove side and making a contorted throw.

[RogueHominid]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

I think there are maybe less DPs in the game this year than last, but it is still definitely an issue.

Here's what I do, though, to maximize my chances of staying out of one:

If I'm up in the count, I don't swing. On AS pitching or higher, the CPU is going to work you down in the zone or out of the zone to induce a ground ball, period. So if you can wait and get into a hitter's count, you increase your chances of getting a pitch high enough in the zone to do something with.

If I'm at 2-2 or 3-2 and have a hitter with better than average contact ratings, I will often start the runner and use the directional aim down and to the opposite handedness of the batter to try to push one through the hole.

This means I'm more aggressive than I'd like to be, and sometimes this strategy fails because you hit a pop up, but there are also plenty of times where starting the runner prevents the DP, even though I often lose the out at first if the grounder doesn't get through the IF.

I think that's the best you can do with this game, honestly.

[LionsFan01]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

I would say about 50% of the pitches that I hit with a runner at 1st end up in a double play. The defense turns them way too easy in the game with every throw being right on the money for the feed at 2B. I see more 360 spinning throws that are bullets right to the chest of the guy at second in this game than I've ever seen in real life.

This leads to my biggest issue with The Show. Errors seem to be completely random rather than being related to the actual difficulty of the play attempting to be made. Sure MLB players will duff a routine grounder or airmail a routine throw, but they seem to boot those plays more often in the game than a throw moving to their glove side and making a contorted throw.

I think this is the real issue. I've had runners with 80+ speed thrown out by SS's on their knees because they can still throw bullets across the diamond. Third basemen have zero issue snagging 100 mph hits down the line and getting back up and getting the out at first or with barehanding a slow roller and throwing a perfectly placed laser to first. Only animation I've seen that seems to have a penalty associated with it is second basemen fielding balls up the middle and having to throw to first while falling backwards.

And that's not to say that the above things shouldn't happen from time to time. We've all seen amazing plays made by infielders in real life. It just happens with far too much consistency in this game.

[WhiteBunny]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

No matter where the pitch is thrown, I seem to hit into a ground ball double play almost literally every time a runner is on 1st.

That's why in my Cubs Franchise i called up Kawasaki from the Minors, he's a bunt artist.

[nemesis04]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Through the games history it has been heavy handed with the twin killing.

[DarthRambo]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

Every year my team leads the league in double plays and it's not even close. Really wish they would tone them down somehow. I try my best to stay out of them but with using timing interface for hitting it feels impossible a lot of times. No way to control the pci and cpu seems to locate pitches down with too much consistency. This has been an issue with the game for years.

[KBLover]

Re: Runner on 1st = double play?

cpu seems to locate pitches down with too much consistency. This has been an issue with the game for years.

The defense turns them way too easy in the game with every throw being right on the money for the feed at 2B. I see more 360 spinning throws that are bullets right to the chest of the guy at second in this game than I've ever seen in real life.

I think these two things combined are where a lot of the issues lies.

The animations for turning DPs sure seem much quicker than the others fielders have, especially for throwing.

The throws to second are either right there or way off and you get no outs. Not much in between where the feed might be a little offline where the 2B might have to slow down that "neighborhood play" to make sure he gets the ball and the bag before making the return throw or anything like that.

And the difficult throws being right on the money a lot - yeah I see that. And it's tough because if you raise the throwing error slider for IF, you might see 4 Knoblauchs on the field suddenly.

CPU pitchers being able to locate low consistently, regardless of BB/9 or Control, seems to be part of it.

Another part is that it seems infield outs go right to infielders too much. Not a lot of moving a couple steps to field and then still throwing out. On DPs, those extra tenths of a second could add up to let the batter-runner beat it out. Combine that with more imperfect-but-not-error-causing throws and I think we'd start to see it subside.