Rare plays
In this section, we’d like to share with you some of the types of plays that occur in Diamond Mind Baseball
that you won’t often (or ever) see in arcade games and translated board games. We think these plays
represent much of the richness and diversity of real baseball. A complete baseball experience requires that
these plays, none of which are all that uncommon, occur in the game in a statistically meaningful way. Here
are a few examples:
Catcher interference. This play occurs only about 8-10 times per season in real life, so it’s tempting for
game designers to leave it out.
Ball hits runner. This play is even more rare. The batter is awarded a single but the runner is declared out
on the play.
Catcher pickoff throws. DMB includes all of the associated types of plays (runner back safely, runner
picked off, runner out advancing, rundowns). Just as in real life, catchers rarely try to pick runners off
when they are leading by four or more runs or when an errant throw could produce the tying run. They’re
more common for teams that need a momentum-turning play. The best throwing catchers have a much
better chance of getting a pickoff, while the worst won’t even try pickoff throws very often.
**Out advancing on short passed balls and wild pitches. **Passed balls and wild pitches occur hundreds
of times per season, yet many arcade games leave them out. Diamond Mind Baseball goes one step further
by including the plays on which the runner tries to advance on a short passed ball but gets thrown out.
These plays don’t show up in the official stats, but they’re not all that rare.
**Pickoffs. **About 15-20% of the real-life runners thrown out stealing second are thrown out by the pitcher,
not the catcher. The pitcher makes a good pickoff throw, the runner breaks for second, and the first
baseman either throws the runner out or tags the runner in a rundown. Other games that don’t compile
fielding stats often gloss over these details and simply report that the runner is out.
**Rundowns and botched plays. **Some rundowns are executed in textbook style, with the defense making
one throw, chasing the runner back to his original bag, and making the tag. But even the pros occasionally
mess up a rundown by dropping a throw, making a wild throw, or failing to cover a base. Diamond Mind
Baseball rundowns usually lead to outs, but all of these other things can happen too. Including the play
where the runner at first gets in a rundown, and the runner on third breaks for home, and the defense has
to switch gears and throw home.
**Brawls. **Most batters will take their licks and their base quietly, but some will ignite a bench-clearing brawl
by charging the mound. Brawls can lead to injuries for players in the game and anyone on the bench. And
you’ll usually see at least one player ejected from the game for their conduct in the melee.
Arguments and ejections. Batters and pitchers sometimes argue ball and strike calls by the home plate
umpire. The ump will put up with a little abuse, but you may find a hitter or pitcher getting tossed just when
you need them most.
**Dropped third strikes. **In most cases, this is a harmless miscue, with the catcher recording an easy out
by tagging the hitter or throwing to first. But the pitch may go all the way to the backstop, perhaps
prolonging a rally that should have ended with the strikeout. Catchers will also make a few wild throws to
first, letting the batter reach safely and perhaps allowing other runners to move up as well. As with any
other play, Diamond Mind Baseball complies with the official rules. The batter is automatically declared
out if first base is occupied with less than two out. If there are two out and the bases are loaded, the
catcher won’t risk the throw to first because he can simply step on home plate to force the runner.
**Dropped throws and throwing errors. **About a third of the errors charged to outfielders result from wild
throws. Most other games don’t include throwing errors as a possible outcome of a running play. But this is
an important factor in deciding whether to throw for the lead runner. The game also includes plays where
the catcher or another fielder is charged with an error when he drops a good throw.