Alright, let’s talk about this “h/9” thing in that baseball game, MLB The Show 23. I ain’t no expert, ya know, but I’ve watched my fair share of baseball games back in the day. My grandson, he’s always yappin’ about this game, so I figured I’d try and understand what all the fuss is about.
What’s this h/9 all about then?
From what I gather, this h/9, it’s about how many hits a pitcher lets the other fellas get. Like, if a pitcher’s got a low h/9, that means he’s stingy with the hits, ain’t lettin’ those batters get on base much. And that’s a good thing, right? You don’t want them fellas hittin’ the ball all over the place, scorin’ runs. It’s like keepin’ the chickens in the coop, ya know? Gotta keep ’em from runnin’ wild.
Now, they say you figure this h/9 thing out by takin’ how many hits the pitcher gave up, dividin’ it by how many innings he pitched, and then multiplyin’ that by nine. Sounds complicated, but I guess it makes sense if you’re into that kinda math stuff. I always just counted the runs, myself. More runs for our team, that’s all I cared about.
Other things that matter for pitchers
- Walks (BB/9): They also talk about walks, how many fellas the pitcher just lets walk on base for free. That ain’t good neither. A high BB/9, that means the pitcher’s wild, can’t control where the ball’s goin’. It’s like tryin’ to herd cats, those walks are. Gotta keep ’em batters workin’ for their base hits, not just givin’ ’em away. They say in the game, if this number is high, you get more time to aim your pitch. Sounds fancy, but I just want the ball to go where it’s supposed to!
- Home Runs (HR/9): And then there’s home runs. Nobody wants to see the other team hittin’ the ball outta the park. A high HR/9, that’s bad news. Means the pitcher’s givin’ up too many dingers. Like lettin’ the cows out of the pasture, those home runs are. Gotta keep ’em in the park, that’s what I say.
- Strikeouts (K/9): My grandson keeps yellin’ about strikeouts. Says the more strikeouts a pitcher gets, the better. I guess that makes sense. If they’re swingin’ and missin’, they ain’t hittin’, right? So a high K/9 is a good thing, keeps those batters off the bases. It’s like shooing flies, those strikeouts are. Get ’em outta there!
- Stamina: This one’s easy. It’s like how long a fella can work in the fields before he’s all tuckered out. A pitcher with good stamina can throw a lot of pitches before he gets tired. You don’t want your pitcher runnin’ outta gas in the middle of the game, that’s for sure. It’s like a tractor, gotta have enough fuel to get the job done.
- Break: And then there’s this “break” thing. Seems like if a pitcher got a good break, the batters can’t figure out where the ball’s gonna go. Keeps ‘em guessin’, which is good. It’s like a curveball in life, ya know? Keeps ya on your toes.
Pitching, it’s the whole darn game
They say pitchin’ is the most important thing in baseball, and I reckon they’re right. You gotta have a good pitcher if you wanna win games. In this MLB The Show 23, it sounds like they try to make it real, with all these different numbers and things. My grandson says you can even see how tired your pitcher is, and if he’s getting’ tired, the little picture on the screen shows red. Like a warning light, I guess. You don’t want your pitcher gettin’ too tired, or he’ll start throwin’ meatballs, and then the other team will start hittin’ ’em outta the park.
And what about those shortstops?
Heard somethin’ about shortstops too. Good ones make the pitchers look better. They get the ball and throw it where it needs to go and keep outta trouble. Sounds like a good worker, knows his job and does it well.
Making sense of it all
So, this h/9, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. You gotta look at all the different things a pitcher does to see if he’s any good. Can he keep the hits down? Can he throw strikes? Does he have enough stamina to last the whole game? It’s like bakin’ a pie, ya know? You gotta have all the right ingredients if you want it to turn out good.
Anyways, that’s my take on this h/9 thing. Maybe I don’t understand all the fancy details, but I know what’s important in baseball. Keep the other team from scorin’ runs, and score more runs yourself. That’s the name of the game, ain’t it?
And that PCI thing?
Oh yeah, and this h/9 also makes it harder for the batter to hit the ball good. Shrinks that PCI thing, whatever that is. Sounds like makin’ the bat smaller, so harder to hit. Good for the pitcher, I guess.
So there you have it. A whole bunch of nothin’ and somethin’ about pitchin’ in that there video game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go make sure those chickens ain’t gettin’ into the garden again.
Tags: [MLB The Show 23, Pitching, H/9, Hits per Nine Innings, Baseball, Game Mechanics, Strategy, Stamina, BB/9, HR/9, K/9, Break, PCI]