Cheesy Baserunning

[Jitter1127]

How to you combat the steal mechanic. I know how to pick off and pitch out, but it seems near impossible to throw a base runner out. Plus it seems like fielders take forever to tag. I had several instances where i thought in had the guy dead to rights only to hear "safe!" This is the most irritating part of the game in my opinion

[bcruise]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jitter1127

How to you combat the steal mechanic. I know how to pick off and pitch out, but it seems near impossible to throw a base runner out. Plus it seems like fielders take forever to tag. I had several instances where i thought in had the guy dead to rights only to hear "safe!" This is the most irritating part of the game in my opinion

First, what you absolutely must know about close plays is that the runner will win if he/she's already sliding in when the ball hits the fielder's glove. You have to time your throws in rundowns to account for that. Also, it seems like it's easier to outpace baserunners as a fielder in a rundown than in other games, so as long as you make safe (early enough) throws, you should be able to get the tag out.

With that said....throwing out stealing runners is definitely hard, and I haven't gotten consistently good with it. I can get full power throws consistently enough, but not overthrowing it is very tricky. Sometimes I'll overpower the meter, get a hard throw in the dirt but still get the out though.

Also, varying your release timing can help against people who early steal online. Just sit in the stretch for a few seconds and sometimes they'll flinch and send the runner, at which point you can step off the mound and put them in a rundown.

[JayhawkerStL]

LT to step off is a must use tool. I think the game nails the pressure baserunnunners puts in a pitcher well. You have to make the runner feel uncomfortable.

I would not mind then slowing base stealers down a notch, but I don’t want to lose that feeling of tension when guys get on.