When The Grass Was Real, Pitcher Module v1.0
By Jay Wigley (jaywigley@cableone.net)

All pitchers have a fastball as their primary pitch. Player rolls two 6-sided die to add pitches to their arsenal. When a roll repeats itself, no further pitches are added. All pitchers have a maximum of five pitches in their arsenal. 

All pitches start at NEUTRAL (no adjustments to any skill on pitcher card) the first time they are selected. Each pitch assumes either a plus (working) or a minus (not working) status based on the outcome of that pitch the first time it is thrown. Pitch status carries over (persistence) from inning to inning. (A fastball with a minus that gets the last batter out in the first inning becomes a working fastball (plus) and will begin the second inning with that status.)

Pitchers start the game by selecting any pitch at all.  If pitch outcome is pitcher favorable (STRIKE, K, any OUT, etc.), then pitch assumes positive effects from pitch effects chart. If pitch outcome is batter-friendly (BB, BALL, HIT, HBP, etc.) then pitch becomes "not working" and assumes negative qualities on pitch effects chart. (Use good judgement here-a "1" in the pitch effects chart means that the pitcher gains advantage for that skill when that pitch is working, just as a "-1" means the pitcher skill in that area is reduced by one level when the pitch is not working. Further, if the outcome is well hit (LINER?) but a great play is made to turn it into an out, the outcome is still batter friendly since it was a well-hit ball even though no hit resulted. It is suggested that HARD? and LINE? and DRIVE? be considered batter friendly regardless of final outcome, whereas FLARE? and SOFT? be considered pitcher friendly regardless of the outcome. FLY? depends on whether the ultimate outcome benefits the pitcher or batter more.) 

The fastball is the only pitch that can affect the same skill (SK) either positively or negatively. All other pitches change different pitcher qualities (HR, BB, or SO) depending on whether they're working or not. 

The fastball is unique in that IF it is already working (already positive) then it can improve the other pitches as follows: a positive outcome on the fastball can be used to make other pitches favorable if they have already been used. For example, if a pitcher has a curve that is not working, and he gets a working fastball to induce a pop out, then he can use the outcome to make the curve favorable against the next batter. If he had not tried the curve yet, then it remains neutral and may not be adjusted. (The idea here is that all pitches work "off the fastball." If the fastball is working, it makes the other pitches work better as well.)

You (the pitcher) are yanked when you have no working pitches (every pitch has a minus) and you yield a runner by any means (hit, BB, WP, error). The outcome that kills your last pitch cannot remove you from the game. In other words, if you have a plus fastball and you walk a batter to make it a minus, then you still can recover--you are not already gone based on that walked batter.


