Does Interleague Play Affect Baseball Gaming?

Feature Article

Submitted on: 06/27/2012 by Matthew Coe

I’m torn on interleague play.

In some instances I think it’s great. I love seeing the Mets vs. Yankees, Cubs vs. White Sox, Reds vs. Indians, Dodgers vs. Angels, and Nationals vs. Orioles. These are all great series for baseball to have each regular season.

On the other hand, I’d make some changes to interleague play such as reducing it to eight games every season, with each team playing a home-and-home four-game series with their geographical rival. But that’s neither here nor there.

Aside from the debates surrounding the topic of interleague play in the real sport, I'm looking to ask a different question: does interleague play affect sports gaming?

The most legitimate criticism of interleague play in the real game is inequalities in strength of schedule. This is at least partially the result of uneven leagues (NL has 16 teams, AL has 14 teams), which Major League Baseball hopes to fix with Houston moving to the AL West next season. But with the “natural rivals” concept in place, two teams in the same division will have a drastically different strength of schedule depending on the strength of their rival in any given year. As much as I love the “natural rivals” concept, maybe it’s time to ditch it?

Now let’s take the same concepts to gaming, do they translate?

In my opinion, these disparities really don’t matter in gaming. With the human elements of player skill and things like sliders, I don’t see that interleague play is a big deal at all. I recognize that it creates the same strength of schedule issues as the real game, but the importance of these inequalities just isn’t as important. I actually enjoy being able to play interleague games in my baseball video game. In video game form I think it retains much of the uniqueness that made it an appealing idea to the powers that be in baseball, oh so many years ago.

I wouldn't like to see interleague play go in video game form, but I am in favor of reducing it in the real game. It's sort of how I feel about the DH. I hate the DH rule in real baseball, but I think it can be a fun idea in a video game. That said, I don't think interleague play has any major affect on baseball gaming when you come down to it.

Sound off OS! Does interleague play affect you or your virtual squad?

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Member Comments

# 1 marginwalker12 @ 06/27/12 12:24 PM

No shot in reducing it now. Next year every day with a full slate of games will include at least one interleague game.

# 2 Up and Coming @ 06/27/12 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marginwalker12


	No shot in reducing it now. Next year every day with a full slate of games will include at least one interleague game.

Yes, with both the NL and AL evening out to 15 teams each(odd number) there will be atleast one Interleague series going on all the time. I despise Interleague play. The World Series and the all star game are the times for the AL to face off with the NL. That being said, it does not affect gaming all that much. More exposure to different teams, different players.

# 3 jhendricks316 @ 06/27/12 01:10 PM

I like Interleague Play, but all of the natural rivals aren't "natural".

# 4 BSchwartz07 @ 06/27/12 01:23 PM

I always HATED the "natural rivals".... As a Braves fan our "natural rival" was/is the Red Sox (makes sense, these two organizations shared a city at one point) but the Nationals and Phillies play the Orioles and Blue Jays every year. When you play in a division that is as tight at the NL East just didn't seem right to get stuck with Boston while Philly gained a few games with easy wins.

# 5 Aceito @ 06/27/12 01:50 PM

I love taking my D-Backs talents to the AL stadiums! Interleague is cool with me.

# 6 DGuinta1 @ 06/27/12 02:06 PM

Subway series is great, I luv it inter league, watching it and playing it on The Show!

# 7 dmacgreg37 @ 06/27/12 02:08 PM

I feel the exact opposite about the DH. I find it to be terrible in video games. I will only play as NL teams (or turn DH off), so that I actually have to make in-game changes. Otherwise, you could just watch your 9 cycle through over and over.

# 8 mpt54 @ 06/27/12 04:01 PM

I enjoy Interleague play living in the middle of Ohio I'm able to go to both the Indians and Reds in Cleveland and the same thing when they play in Cincinnati both are fun series to watch and play in the Show

# 9 Blzer @ 06/27/12 04:18 PM

How much will this new schedule increase the amount of interleague series' for teams?

If there are fifteen games a day and there is one interleague series at a time, each team playing one interleague series (for both leagues) would be 45 games, which is just over 1/4 of the full season schedule. It seems like each team would only play four interleague series' at most, which is less than the five series' that MLB teams have now.

Doesn't look like it will increase it at all, so I don't know why people have said NL teams have to consider re-managing their teams for the DH when they'll only play like six total games with one.

# 10 thbends @ 06/27/12 05:58 PM

I LOVE the DH rule and think it's completely unfair for the AL to have to play by the NL rules in the World Series when the NL playing with a DH does nothing but helps them. Pitchers batting is ridiculous in this day and age. So I support interleague play as much as possible to level the playing field. That way AL teams are not hampered as much in the World Series.

# 11 rymflaherty @ 06/27/12 09:47 PM

To me it really effects the game in the same way it effects real life.....so in that sense, it's not really an issue.

It effects me because the unbalanced schedules in baseball are lame as it is....interleague play then making it even more unbalanced within the division is even worse.
Then the whole DH issue.....So just like real life, I'm forced to take bats away from someone like Ortiz due to the rule.

At least now it takes place over a brief period....so it's only an issue for a week or two and you can plan for it. It seems like it will be even more of an issue/nuisance if it will be spread out across the season moving forward.

# 12 LowerWolf @ 06/28/12 04:01 PM

With interleague games being played all the time though, there's going to be a push to make the DH rule the same in both leagues. The players union isn't about to give up the DH, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the DH added in the NL in the next few years.

I hate it, but nearly every other level of baseball has the DH now. The NL will adopt it soon, I'm afraid.

# 13 pokerplaya @ 06/28/12 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thbends


	I LOVE the DH rule and think it's completely unfair for the AL to have to play by the NL rules in the World Series when the NL playing with a DH does nothing but helps them. Pitchers batting is ridiculous in this day and age. So I support interleague play as much as possible to level the playing field. That way AL teams are not hampered as much in the World Series.

I would ask how old you are, no offense...

"Pitchers batting in this day and age" -- did men somehow lose the ability to swing a bat? You grow up playing the game at a level to where you get to the major leagues and you're incapable of swinging a bat?

I play with the major league rules for realism, but think it's quite bush-league that the two professional leagues still maintain different rules. I'll tell you this, its a lot easier for teams to police themselves in the National when your pitchers have to step in the box. Also, as another poster said -- it removes nearly all strategic elements from the game.

It has always been horrible for the game, and it still is. If you have an pitcher who is a hell of a hitter, that's a defined advantage -- AS IT SHOULD BE.

This is not to mention that the DH rule prolongs the careers of guys that wouldn't be able to even be ROSTERED if they had to play defense, and artificially inflates numbers. Don't get me wrong, I love guys like Jim Thome -- but if he had to play the field every day of his career, he'd have more like 400 homeruns instead of the 600+ he has. David Ortiz, et al...

# 14 DGuinta1 @ 06/28/12 06:15 PM

Agree 100% Lowerwolf, gonna come to the NL soon.

# 15 pokerplaya @ 06/29/12 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowerWolf


	With interleague games being played all the time though, there's going to be a push to make the DH rule the same in both leagues. The players union isn't about to give up the DH, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the DH added in the NL in the next few years. I hate it, but nearly every other level of baseball has the DH now. The NL will adopt it soon, I'm afraid.

Even though I am probably as big an opponent of the DH as there is, I think there has to be a move toward uniformity one way or the other. And, your wholly valid point of the union never relinquishing it means that I agree with you -- and wish that this will happen. With interleague going to play such a larger factor on the standings, the game needs to be uniform.

It's almost like if the AFC had no two-minute warning, but the NFC kept it. The strategy is that different between the two leagues now.

# 16 pokerplaya @ 06/29/12 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msuboy11


	I agree with you pokerplaya, I just think they have to have a uniform rule. The problem is when you don't, guys are now doing things that they are not used to, which causes injuries. (Ching Ming Wang) I personally like the DH, because it adds more excitement to the game. These guys get paid money to pitch, so when they have to focus on hitting also, it is less time practicing pitching. Also without it, guys like David Ortiz might have never made it. So I Definitly think it should be adopted by NL.

I'm reverse. I wish it'd be abolished by the AL, but as the poster above stated, the union would not allow that to happen because it would cost in the neighborhood of 15-30 jobs for union members.

Just another example of the game being adversely affected by money.

# 17 PowerofRed25 @ 06/29/12 01:20 AM

I like interleague play a lot, but with there being 15 a side next year and a full slate of games having one interleague game, I think the rules need to be standardized. At least with interleague play like it is now, you know you're about to get into it for a few weeks and can make whatever moves necessary, get your pitchers in the cage, call up a bat to DH for a week, get a guy some reps in the OF or at 1B. With interleague being mixed in throughout the season and likely only for a series at a time, it really starts to limit what you can do strategically.

It also seems like the interleague play monster catches at least one AL pitcher and gives him some freak injury on the bases each year. Despite that, I prefer NL baseball. I think the DH is a crutch for managers and GM's. You don't have to worry about where to play guys, you don't have to worry about having a deep bench or utility guys that can play anywhere after a double switch. You don't have to worry about saving your lefty pinch hitter in the pitchers spot for the righty closer in the 9th. If one of your stars is sore or tired, you can DH him for a day or two whereas an NL manager probably would have to sit him.

It just seems like NL baseball requires you to have a more complete, well put together team. Of course the only way both leagues will have the same rule is WITH the DH rather than without.

# 18 shadia147 @ 06/29/12 10:42 PM

The question is in regards to Video Sports Gaming. And since the conversation is about the DH and Interleague Play, Allow me to answer this way;

In The Show, we have the option of turning off the DH or going with it in both leagues. I see no such option regarding Interleague Play.
Now, in the Video Game Reality, theres no such thing as Players Unions. I am in fact God for all intents and purposes. As such, being 55 yrs old, I yearn for the days of pitchers having an impact from the plate in the American League. So I turned my DH off. I LOVE IT!! It's early yet, but I have some ptchers batting over .500. It levels the playing field. Of course the CPU hasnt figured out yet what to do with Gonzalez and Ortiz at first base for the Red Sox, or Prince Fielder in Detroit. But I can't wait to see how that plays out.
So far as Interleague Play, I wish the Devs gave us the option of turning that off too. Yes, it upsets the balance of the season, but what's more, it cheapens the Post Season.
I remember the 1976 World Series when the Reds first went to Fenway. They had never seen the Wall up close, and it definitely affected their heads. It was cool to play someone you'd never played before. How would they do? Could Bert Campaneris steal against Johnny Bench? Was the Orioles pitching staff in 1971 really that good? The appeal was that you saw matchups you'd never seen before. Or you would argue with your friends over how who was better Tom Seaver or Jim Palmer... And yet never actually get to see it happen IRL. It added a mystery to the game.

And just for the record, it should be the Brewers going back to the AL, not the Astros.

# 19 Iceman87GT @ 06/30/12 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thbends


	I LOVE the DH rule and think it's completely unfair for the AL to have to play by the NL rules in the World Series when the NL playing with a DH does nothing but helps them. Pitchers batting is ridiculous in this day and age. So I support interleague play as much as possible to level the playing field. That way AL teams are not hampered as much in the World Series.

Except the NL doesn't sign guys who they'll occasionally stick at first base when one of their other players needs a day off from playing a position. So. Boston Red Sox can have David Ortiz in addition to their 8 fielding players during Interleague play, while the Braves can only pull from their utility players, as is the case with most NL teams because it doesn't make financial sense to sign a guy so you can have a great 9-man line-up during the small number of games you play on the road in the AL. Pitchers are all bad batters with a few exceptions (Micah Owings), there are pitchers who are good batters for pitchers (Tim Hudson) but they still aren't very good or reliable. Teach your pitchers to lay down a bunt and hope they never have to be called upon to do something else, that's what they typically do in the NL.

Having a man signed as a DH trumps having an slightly more experienced hitting pitcher, there's a reason why the DH is usually in the 4-6 batting slot and not the 9th slot (like the pitcher).

# 20 Iceman87GT @ 06/30/12 04:52 PM

The NL rule is better in my opinion, it involves more strategy and is fairer to the AL when they come to town (the home team having a slight advantage in the 9th slot is a lot fairer than the AL team having a huge advantage in the 4th, 5th or 6th spot), I mean Frank Thomas could barely run during his final few years but he could still swing the bat, he was useless in every other facet of the game but he still had a roster spot, that's not how baseball should be played.

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