Hang 'Em and Bang 'Em

[KowboysUp]

The title to the thread says it all.

I can't throw the curveball for the life of me.

As I type this, I just got out to a 4-0 lead with the Red Sox, and Beckett is on the mound.

Obviously, the computer came back the next inning (because there's no such thing as comeback code) but what I want to know is, does anyone else have as much trouble with the curve as I do?

It seems like, when I inevitably give up that big home run to complete the comeback, it's almost always on a breaking pitch that hangs right in the middle. Now, this isn't because of where I'm aiming it I don't think; I usually start the pitch either up and in so it'll break onto the inside corner or right down the middle so it will break just off, and sometimes I start it a little lower trying to get it in the dirt.

Sometimes this even works, but the maority of the time the pitch hangs, no matter where I hit on the meter. It doesn't matter if I hit the yellow line or miss it completely, that almost seems to have no bearing on where the pitch ends up.

Lastly, I pretty much never fill the pitch meter into the yellow area on breaking pitches because that usually just makes me bounce it, again no matter where I'm aiming really or how I do on the meter so... any tips?

Does anyone else struggle with breaking pitches as much as I do?

Thanks in advance for any help!

P.S. I forgot to add, lack of knowledge on how to pitch probably isn't the problem, but maybe The Show pitching is different from real life. I've been a pitcher my whole life, and would hope that I have the "baseball knowledge" part covered.

[bsb13]

I usually go about throwing curveballs in two different ways....

1) Aim my pitch a little higher than I really want it to go and fill the pitch meter all the way up to full power.

2) Aim the curveball a little lower than I want it to go and fill the meter right to the spot where the yellow ends and the red begins.



You also have to be aware of just how good/bad a pitchers curveball is. Sometimes hangers will happen and there just isn't anything you can do about it, but that happens in real life.

[KowboysUp]

Right, and thanks for the quick reply.

I think Josh Beckett has a good enough curveball where he doesn't hang it the majority of the time he throws it, though, so I'll give your tips a shot, thanks.

[jim416]

Last four paragraphs of the above stickied TUTORIAL, plus CHASING PITCHES thread noted in TUTORIAL should help some.

[SoxFan01605]

To add, pitch confidence is a factor. I usually try to get my curve going by throwing it very early in the count (first pitch) or when I'm way ahead in the count and want them to chase. Use it sparingly...especially at first. The guys with the best curves usually are most effective because they keep hitters off-balance. If it's going flat or hanging on you, go away from it for awhile and use the element of surprise a bit more.

You'll likely find that it's VERY effective once you get it going. In fact, this series is the first one where I've loved the curveball as an out pitch even more than the change.

[KowboysUp]

Thanks for the help guys.

I won my first game in a couple weeks last night after the most nightmarish streak of CPU comebacks and general stupidity possible on my part.

I even got a few big K's with DiceK's slurve and Saito's slider. Thanks!

[sierra44]

Maybe Becket isnt as good as people think? J/K, I can never throw mine consistantly either. I would think Burnett has a pretty good yakker, almost as good as Becket. I try to let the power meter go to just behind the line on the way back, then to just after the accuracy line. That way if I miss, I'll miss low. Just be careful w/ a runner on 3rd. Also, I never start the pitch too far above the belt. Much easier to hang 1. Just remember, yer gonna hang em occasionally.
Fortunately Beckett's curveball is good enough get away w/ most bad ones.