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                              MLB '08:THE SHOW
              Pitcher Career Mode FAQ(Version 1.0; March 7,'08)
                           Written by: Aj_the_one

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Table of Contents
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A.Version History
B.Introduction
C.Legal Stuff 
D.Making a Pitcher
E.Pitches
 E1.Fastballs
 E2.Breaking Balls
 E3.Off-Speed Pitches
F.Ratings
G.Delivery
H.Starting your Career
 H1.Spring Training
I.Regular Season and Playoffs
 I1.Schedule
 I2.Around the League
  II1.Standings
  II2.Statistics
  II3.Team Rankings
  II4.Who's Hot
  II5.League Roundup
  II6.League Leaders
  II7.Accolades
 I3.Player Management
J.Career Home Menu
 J1.Locker Room
 J2.Contract
 J3.Interactions
 J4.Training
K.Off-Season
L.Retirement
M.Closer Career Progress(Guideline)
N.Pitch Release Points(NEW!!!)
O.Pitching Tips
P.Credits 
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A.Version History
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Version 1.0- FAQ Completed
Version 1.2- Updated Career Progress, corrected some errors and added a new
section for pitcher release points.

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B.Introduction
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Welcome back people to my 3rd FAQ for this beautiful baseball game series!!!It
has been quite some time so i'll jump right into the changes from last year's
game. I used my FAQ for 07 as a template so it will look familiar but there
are alot of things that have changed in this years RTTS. The most significant
of these changes is the addition of the Career Advancement goals. These, 
coupled with your ratings, will dictate when you get promoted in your career.
If I added all the changes this intro would be really long so I'll just say
enjoy the FAQ and good luck!!!

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C.Legal Stuff
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My FAQ may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal or
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site except for www.gamefaqs.com and www.ign.com or as part of any public
display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

Copyright 2008 Armand Sellers

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D.Making a Pitcher
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Welcome to the start of career!!! There are a couple of things have been 
changed for this years game. First and foremost you can only do RTTS from the
viewpoint of the player, the classic option has been removed. Like last year
you will play the game from the viewpoint of your player. This forces you to
rely on your defense just like in real life. When you start your career you
have to give your player a name and choose his height and weight. The
cosmetics aren't really important so you can do whatever you want to make
your player look more like you(or if you have and Eyetoy you can use that).
Once you are done with the cosmetics you get to focus on what's really
important... Your ratings and pitches!!

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E.Types of Pitches
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This is one of the most important choices you can make for you pitcher. You 
have alot of pitches to choose from and I would recommend you go with your
favorite pitches. I will outline each pitches movement with a clock system
(1 to 9 etc.)description of the pitch and a speed range. Like last year you
can only choose three pitches from the start.

E1.FastBalls

4-Seam-This pitch is normally thrown by gripping the area where the seams are
furthest apart. It is thrown with little movement and is the fastest pitch
your pitcher can throw.

Movement-Little or none

Speed Range-80-102mph

2-Seam- This pitch is thrown by gripping the area where the seams are closest
together then rotating the ball so the seams are perpendicular to his body.
This pitch ranks second in terms of velocity.

Movement-Will appear to have an inside-out movement and will move downward a
little bit. For right-handed pitchers the pitch will move right then left and
for Left-handed pitchers it will do the opposite and move left then right.

Speed Range-75-97mph

Cutter- This pitch is thrown basically the same way the 4-seam is thrown 
except it is thrown with slight pressure from the tip of the middle finger.
It's difficult to hit if thrown hard because it breaks and still moves 90-95
mph making it harder to see.

Movement-This pitch is a cross between a 4-seam and a slider and it's 
break is basically an 11-7.

Speed Range-75-95mph

Splitter-This pitch is thrown by splitting your index and middle finger an
equal distance apart on the ball. This pitch is hard to hit when thrown hard
because it moves fast and it tumbles downward making it hard to hit.

Movement-This pitch will drop straight down with a 12-6 break and will also
break harder the faster the pitch is.

Speed Range-75-91mph

Running Fastball- This pitch(like the others)makes it return to this years 
game and is unchanged. It's basically a two-seam fastball without the
downward movement and it has a  much more severe break. It also moves around
the same speed as the 2-seam. After giving my pitcher this pitch I would make
the argument that it is definitely the best new pitch in the game and quite 
possibly the best pitch period. When it's at good levels it will make hitters
look like little leaguers.

Movement- This pitch will move towards the pitchers throwing hand. If it 
thrown by a Right handed pitcher to a right handed batter the pitch will move
in on the hitter with a severe 9-3 break.

Speed Range- 75-95mph

E2.Breaking Balls

Curveball-This pitch is thrown by placing your index and middle finger on the
top of the ball and curving your thumb on the bottom of the ball. This pitch
is significantly slower than a fastball and has a sharp break which will throw
off the hitter's timing.

Movement-This pitch most often has a 12-6 break but there are a good amount of
pitchers who throw this with a 10-4 break.

Speed Range-63-86mph

Slider-This pitch is thrown the same way the curve is except the thumb is 
closer to the third finger. Also the pitch is released off the middle finger
most commonly.

Movement- This pitch will have a lateral movement, similiar to a 9-3 break.
Also the faster the pitch thrown the harder the break, making the pitch alot
harder to spot.

Speed Range-68-91mph

Sinker-This pitch is thrown basically the same way the 2-Seam is except you
can add sideways movement to the pitch by putting more pressure on the index
or middle finger. This pitch is essential for producing ground-outs when hit.

Movement-The pitch will break downward sharply as it approaches the plate. It
will also move in on left-handed batters and away from right-handed batters.

Speed Range-76-92mph

Slurve-This pitch can be thrown with 2-seam or 4-seam grip. With the 2-seam
grip the pitch will have a stronger break but less speed and the 4-seam grip
will have more speed and less break.

Movement-As it's name implies the break will normally be 11-5 with a late 
break.

Speed Range-73-87mph

Forkball-This pitch is thrown the same way the splitter is except the ball is
wedged more tightly between the fingers and the ball breaks a little later 
than the splitter.

Movement-This pitch has the same break as the splitter with a 12-6. In
addition to this it also breaks later than the splitter.

Speed Range-70-87mph

Knuckle Curve-This pitch is thrown just like the curveball except the index
finger is bent while the rest of grip is like the curve. This pitch moves
slower than the curveball and has a more deceptive break to it. It's also
very hard to control(Both in the game and in real-life).

Movement- This pitch is thrown with a 12-6 break and breaks sharply as it
approaches the plate.

Speed Range-62-80mph

Screwball-This pitch has an appropriate name because the movement and the
finger placement is crazy. This pitch is thrown by holding the ball with a 
4-seam grip and upon release turning your wrist clockwise(sounds confusing? I
know).

Movement-This pitch will start to move towards the batter then move away.
With right-handed pitchers the pitch will break right then left, and with left
handed pitchers it will break left then right.

Speed Range-63-75mph

Knuckleball-This pitch is most commonly thrown by holding the ball with your
knuckles. This pitch has an extremely erractic motion and is hard to both hit
and control.

Movement-I couldn't chart the movement of this pitch because it was so crazy
but the most common pattern I have noticed(by the game showing where the pitch
was intended and where it landed) that it breaks in the same direction of the
throwing arm of the pitcher.

Speed Range- 55-69mph

12-6 Curveball- This also a new pitch in 07' The Show but it really isn't all
that new because you could get a 12-6 curveball by choosing the specific break
of the curveball. Will move downward with a hard break.

Movement- As it's name implies it has a VERY STRONG 12-6 break from the moment
it leaves the pitcher's hand.

Sweeping Curveball- Also a new Pitch in this year's game. Same as the 12-6
curveball in the fact that it's not that new but it is a nice pitch though.

Movement- This will have a hard 10-4 movement and looks very much like a 
slider.

Gyroball- Returning from last years game but you still can't choose this from 
the start and I haven't sound out how to get it.The motion for throwing this 
pitch is weird and it gives a similiar break also.

Movement- This pitch moves like a really hard slider and it's flat movement.
It will be a straight 3-9 if thrown by a right handed pitcher and will have
a really strong lateral break.

Speed Range- The fastest I got this pitch to go was 93mph.

E3.Off-Speed Pitches

Changeup-This pitch is thrown by placing three fingers on the top of the ball
while keeping the other finger off the ball and the thumb placed on the 
bottom of the ball.

Movement-This pitch will break downward slightly as it approaches the plate
with a 12-6 motion.

Speed Range-59-82mph

Circle-Change-This is thrown by placing your index finger and thumb together
around the ball while gripping the ball with the other three fingers.

Movement-This pitch will have a downward break and will move in the opposite
direction of the pitcher's throwing arm(Left-handed pitch will break away from
a right-handed batter).

Speed Range-69-83mph

Palmball-This pitch is thrown exactly as it sounds, by placing the ball in 
your palm.

Movement-Similiar to a changeup with a 12-6 late break.

Speed Range-60-73mph

Eephus Pitch- Listed as a pitch in the manual for the game but you can't
actually get the pitch(If anyone has a suggestion, please i'm all ears)

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F.Ratings
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In this section I will outline all of the pitching ratings in the game and
explain each one and how they should be developed for a successful career.

NEW CHANGE!!!- In this years game the ratings are much higher by default then
what they were last year. As a result you only start out with 50 points to
improve your pitcher and every stat can only be increased by 5 points and 
can't be decreased at all so you can't make your pitcher unbalanced like last
year. Noting this I would recommend that you put the points towards your 
stamina and per 9 ratings if your making a starter and your pitching clutch
and per 9 ratings if your making a closer. You should also improve your 
fastball as it will be your most successful pitch early on. 

IMPORTANT!!! With the new Advancement Goals in this years game you will 
basically be forced to improve your fielding if you want to advance in your
career. Also you won't get promoted if your ratings aren't good enough, which
is a change from last year because stats determined your call ups not ratings.

STAMINA- This determines how many pitches you throw in an outing. The higher
the bar the more pitches you can throw and the more innings you can go. If you
are creating a Starting Pitcher then this will be an important rating starting
out because it will allow you to keep a good level of energy throughout a game
which in turn makes it easier to throw your pitches with control. 

MAX- 5 points
RECOMMENDED- 5 Points(Starters) Starting Point(Closers)

If you are creating a Starter then you should put the bar at the max. This
ensures that you won't have to touch your stamina throughout the season and
will allow you to focus on your Hits per 9, Balls/9 and your Strikeouts/9.

PITCHING CLUTCH- This rating allows your pitcher to dig deep and get out of
tough situations(Bases loaded, no outs). This is important for starters but
really important for relievers because they will most likely come in the game
in pressure situations.

MAX- 5 Points
RECOMMENEDED- Starting Point(Starters/Closers)

Since the amount that this will go up won't be much i can't recommend wasting
the points which you can put toward your pitches and per 9 ratings.  
 
HITS PER 9- This rating determines how easy it is for batters to get hits off
you. Needless to say this is important for both starters and relievers. If you
make the mistake of not touching this stat and focusing on your pitches you 
will be sorry because your pitches will get hit frequently by all batters good
or not.

MAX- 5 Points
RECOMMENDED- 5 Points(Starters/Closers)

Max this out as it's only 5 points and is one of the most important stats for
your pitcher. This will make it harder for you be hittable which is vital in
racking up points fast and improving your player.

HOMERUNS PER 9- This rating determines how hard it is for your pitcher to give
up a homerun or a deep fly ball which could turn into a double or triple. This
is important for both Starters and Relievers because nobody wants to give a 
walk-off home run or a bases loaded jack which will severely damage your ERA.

MAX- 5 Points
RECOMMENDED- 5 Points(Starters/Closers)

I maxed this out since it was so cheap and you will reap such a benefit from
not getting taken deep all the time.

STRIKEOUTS PER 9- It took me a while before I realized how important this stat
was. This stat determines how easy it is for your pitcher to get a strikeout.
Since I am a closer I found this to be important because if I can strike out
the side I don't have to worry about the runners on base. This is less 
important for starters because if you get alot of strikeouts, your stamina
will suffer because you will throw more pitches.

MAX- 5 Points
RECOMMENDED- 5 Points(Starters/Closers)

Like most of the per 9 ratings this should be maxed out. Not only will this
help you get strikeouts it'll increase the points you get also. And I still
like Strikeout pitchers.

BALLS PER 9- This stat basically determines your pitchers overall level of 
control on his pitches.This is very important because if he has no control 
then your pitches won't go where you want them to and that will make it 
easier to give up walks or even worse hits.

MAX- 5 Points
RECOMMENDED- 5 Points(Starters/Closers)

Max this out like the other per 9 ratings. The reason for this as stated
above is control. With little or no BB/9 your pitches will rarely go where
you want them to and the result will either be a HR or a hit.

DURABILITY- This determines how frequently your player will be injured 
throughout his career. It is important but you really won't get hurt that much
to waste starting points on it. I've only been injured once for 6 days.

MAX- 35 Points
RECOMMENDED- Starting Point(All)

My reason for leaving this stat blank is because you can do the Long Distance
Running training and raise both your stamina and durability. Also the easiest
reason could be if you get injured don't save the game.

FIELDING ABILITY- This determines how many fielding errors your pitcher will
make. Since your pitcher really won't have that much interaction on the field
don't worry about this stat until you have points to spare(meaning all your
pitches are maxed out).

Like I said above don't worry about this because your points earlier on in
your career can be spent on you pitches and Per 9 ratings which are alot more
important than fielding ability.

ARM STRENGTH- This determines how strong your pitchers are is in the field.
Like fielding ability this also isn't important until you have points to spare

ARM ACCURACY- Like Arm strength this isn't important for you pitcher because
most of his throws innthe field will be short anyway so he won't need to have
accuract because he is so close to his target.

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G.Delivery
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This is important for a couple of reasons. First and foremost it determines
how your pitcher throws the ball. I have broken down the different types of
deliveries and I will explain what pitches have the most break with each
delivery and also what the arm angle is on the delivery. I will also list a
pitcher or two who is known for that style. I haven't noticed any glaring
changes from '07 in this section.

OVER-HAND DELIVERY(Mike Mussina,Trevor Hoffman)
Since Mike Mussina is my favorite pitcher I had to do the over-hand delivery
first. As the name implies your pitchers release point is over his head and
more often than not his wrist his facing straight down after he releases the
ball. I have found that pitches that have a downward break are more effective
when throw from an over-hand delivery. Depending on the pitcher the ball will
also be hidden until it leaves your pitchers hand which makes it harder for
the batter to recognize what's coming. On the other hand I don't like throwing
pitches that a sideways movement from this delivery because it doesn't break
as much(Primarily Sliders).

Best Pitches to throw- Anything with a downward or 12 to 6 break meaning 
curveballs, splitters, changeups, Knucklecurves and Sinkers.

Recommended Delivery- Mike Mussina 

SIDE-ARM DELIVERY(Randy Johnson,Dennis Eckersley)
Also like it's name implies your pitcher's release point is at his waist 
level. Pitches from this delivery will most likely move a little more than you
want them to(i.e. my curveball thrown to inside of a left-handed batter will
move a little more towards him than a over-hand). This isn't a bad thing, I
find it to be quite useful because it not only do my curveball and splitter
have a 12-6 break, they also appear to move up then down as opposed to an over
hand delivery in which the pitch would just tumble downward from the release
point. I love throwing sliders with this delivery because they have more of
a side to side or 9-3 break to them. Fastballs are also effective because it
feels like you get extra speed on the fastball(It feels that way, I haven't
notices a speed difference).

Best Pitches to throw- Sliders and Fastballs. Breaking pitches work well also
just not as effective as with a over-hand delivery.

Recommended Delivery- Randy Johnson

THREE QUARTERS DELIVERY(Pedro Martinez,Johan Santana)
This is the most common delivery style in the MLB. Your pitchers realease 
point is slightly above his shoulder(Not quite a side-arm but not an overhand
either, stuck right in the middle). There is good reason why most pitchers use
a three quaters delivery and that reason is all pitches have a good amount of
break to them. Fastballs come out fast, breaking pitches tumble downward with
a bit or sideways movement, and off-speed pitches appear slower. You really
can't go wrong with any of these deliveries.

Best Pitches to throw- All pitches work wonderfully with this delivery.

Recommended Delivery- I don't like long deliveries so I go with Jason Jennings
For those who don't care I would have to go with Pedro Martinez.

SUBMARINE DELIVERY(Byung-Yung Kim, Mike Myers)
Like the name implies(I know it's getting old) your pitcher's release point is
at his thigh to the point where his hand is almost scraping the dirt. I really
have no complaints about this delivery and it actually is my favorite for a
couple of reasons. First it's easy to confuse batters with this delivery. Next
when I throw my fastball(which tops out at 102mph) it looks like it's going
alot faster than 102mph and batters are always late swinging at it. Also my
slider has a ridiculous amount of break when thrown from this delivery(I can
leave the ball in the middle of the zone and it will slide outside of the box)
My splitter and curveball also have a small amount of 9-3 motion when thrown
which is great when thrown into or away from the batter.

Best Pitches to throw- Fastballs, Sliders and Splitters. All other pitches 
work well also.

Recommended Delivery- Mike Myers

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H.Starting your Career
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Like last year I chose to go with the Yankees as it's easiest to win with them
in Spring Training and rack up alot of points. Also i'm a Yankees fan so that
ties into it too. You can of course choose your favorite team though, it's a
matter of personal preference.

H1.Spring Training
You will only have the opportunity to do spring training in your first year.
There are ways to get around this limit though. Whenever your contract is up
decline the offer from the teams and choose to go into the season without a
team. You will get the chance to pick what team you want to play for then you
will be able to do spring training all over again. Your goal in spring 
training is to do good enough to make the team(You will never make the MLB 
team from spring training. You will always start in the minors). This is good
because you get to play with the Big Boys and get alot of training hours to 
improve your pitcher. Just focus on getting Wins if your a starter or Saves
if your a closer.

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I.Regular Season and Playoffs
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Once spring training is done you will enter the regular season and a number of
menu options available for you to cycle through. I will give a synopsis of the
options and also go into depth a little bit. I'm going to assume that everyone
who is playing this game knows how the regular season progresses so I'm not
going to explain that in this section. There weren't alot of changes from last
year's game in this section.

I1.Schedule
As it's name implies this is where you see your teams schedule and where you
have to go to play your games. The greatest feature of THE SHOW is the ability
to simulate games. What I mean is if you only want to play the 
games in which you are pitching you would simply hit X and then hit the option
that says sim to next appearance. The game will simulate all other games until
you start pitching then you will control your pitcher exclusively. If you are 
a starter then the game will simulate every four days until you pitch then you
will play that game. This is also applies for closers though there's no set
amount of days rest you'll get. This allows you to progress through your 
season really fast because if you are a starter you will only play 35-40 
games because that's how many you would normally start. If you are a closer 
your season will go even faster because you will only do about an inning of 
work and only appear in about 60 games. You will spend quite some time here in
your season mainly because you have no choice.

I2.Around the League
This is basically your stats central. If it's a stat it can be found in this
menu. I will break this down section by section to make it easier to read and
more comprehensive.

II1.Standings
This is where you come to check the standings in the league. You can see what
your overall record is, How many runs your team has scored, Runs given up, 
Winning Streak,record of last 10 games played,Record against division, Home
record,Away record, Day record and Night Record. Yeah I know it's a lot of 
stats and you probably won't look at them through most of the season.

II2.Statistics
In this screen you can see the individual statistics for the entire league,
broken down team by team. There is a very comprehensive list of stats and if
I listed them all this section would be alot longer so I am going to name the
primary ones which are:Games Played,At-Bats,Batting Avg,Hits,Runs scored, 
doubles,triples,homeruns,Runs Batted In,Stolen Bases,Times Caught Stealing,
stolen base percentage,Base on Balls, Strikeouts,Slugging Percentage, and
On-Base Percentage.For the pitchers it is:Games Played,Wins,Losses,Earned Run
Average,Games Started,Complete Games,Shutouts,Saves,Blown Saves,Innings 
pitched,Hits allowed,Runs,Earned Runs,HomeRuns,Bases on balls and Strikeouts.

NEW CHANGE- I should note that they included a new stat HLD. From what I 
understand this is the number of runners you strand on base.
 
III3.Team Rankings
In this screen you can see what your team is ranked in every offensive and
defensive category an also see the top the three players on your team in that
category.

III4.Who's Hot
Here is where you can see who's hot in the league or who's been on a tear in
the past month. This is useful for seeing who you should avoid when you play
a particular team.

III5.League Roundup
This is where you can monitor all the transactions in the league. Signings,
trades, releases everything involving the movement of players either from the
DL or to another team or even moving up and down from the minors.

III6.League Leaders
Here is where you can see who is leading the league in a good portion of the
statistics that were listed above. If you are a stat nut(as most of us are)
then you will spend alot of time in this menu option looking at and glossing
over your stats.

III7.Accolades
It is in this menu screen that you see who the front runners are for the 
yearly awards and also look at the MLB single-season and career records in
addition to being anle to look at the list of all the players inducted into 
the Hall Of Fame. You can also see where everybody is in terms of the All-Star
voting. Depending on how good your numbers are you will spend some time in the
awards and the All-Star voting sections.

I3.Player Management
In this screen you see your team's batting order and pitching rotation but 
since your a player not a manager you can't mess with any of the lineups or
rotations. This means you have to rely on the manager putting you in the game
which can be very frustrating. By pressing O you can see your player card 
which has your information on it such as your stats for the current season and
the one before it,all of your ratings, your contract info and your scouting
report which can be interesting to read. This is where you can see where you
measure up with the rest of the league. The scouting report for the most part
is accurate to your player. It's also interesting to see what they are saying
about you as a player. Since you can't edit anything you would only come here
to see how good your team is. 

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J.Career Home Menu
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I decided to dedicate a whole section to this area of the game because it has
some really important options that need to be discussed in depth so everybody
can have a good understanding of how they work. Also I will break this up into
sections for ease of reading.

NEW CHANGE- When you go to this screen you will see that the layout has been
completely changed from last year. The Home menu now alternates between your
season and last game stats, your scouting report and contract information.
Very welcome change!!!

J1.Locker Room
Not much has changed in this section of your career mode. You can check 
messages from your manager or teammates, see your game or career stats, see
your personal list of achievements and a graph charting your stats
throughout your career. 

J2.Advancement Goals
New to this years game are the advancement goals. These basically boil down to
the things you need to do to move your way up. From what I've seen so far they
consist of improving specific ratings to to a point and also keeping a certain
feilding %. I'm sure they're more of them but that's what i've seen so far.
If you follow these goals you'll move your way up in rotation or find yourself
closer to being the closer. I've found that you can succeed in your goals
but if your stats aren't up to par they won't promote you.

J3.Interactions
At any given time the interaction options will change. If you are a starting
pitcher and you get removed from the game there will be a option to talk to 
the manager about it under the category of Manager Meetings. The only thing
that stays there consistently is the Retire option, unchanged from last year's
game.

RETIRE-"Retire from major league baseball and ride off into the sunset like a
true professional."

Reaction- Retiring will allow you to look at your plaque with a statement of
how you did in the league. You will be able to look at your numbers one last
time but you won't be able to play with your player anymore and you will also
have to start another career mode.

J4.Training
Okay!! This is where you will spend most of your time in your career because
it is here where you will make your pitcher better by using the training hours
that you accumlate through your pitching performances. I should also note that
the goals system has been reworked this year and each training only has one
primary attribute, not 2 or 3 like last years game. 

NEW CHANGE!!! You only need 40 points to improve a stat this year not 100 like
last year.

Long Distance Running- "Distance running improves stamina and durablity"
Primary Attributes- Stamina
Seconday Attributes- Durablility

Pitching Coach- "Work on your pitching mechanics"
Primary Attributes- H/9, HR/9,K/9,BB/9
Seconday Attributes- H/9, HR/9,K/9,BB/9,PCLT

Simulated Game- "Pitch a simulated game"
Primary Attributes- Pitching Clutch
Seconday Attributes- H/9

4SFB Velocity Session
Primary Attributes- Velocity
Seconday Attributes- HR/9

4SFB Control Session
Primary Attributes- Control
Seconday Attributes- BB/9

4SFB Movement Session
Primary Attributes- Break
Seconday Attributes- K/9

SL Velocity Session
Primary Attributes- Velocity
Seconday Attributes- HR/9

SL Control Session
Primary Attributes- Control
Seconday Attributes- BB/9

SL Movement Session
Primary Attributes- Break
Seconday Attributes- K/9

RFB Velocity Session
Primary Attributes- Velocity
Seconday Attributes- HR/9

RFB Control Session
Primary Attributes- Control
Seconday Attributes- BB/9

RFB Movement Session
Primary Attributes- Break
Seconday Attributes- K/9

New Pitch- "Learn a new pitch"(Requires 200 points minimum)

Batting Cages vs. RHP- "Fine tune your hitting skills in the cage".
Primary Attributes- Contact R
Secondary Attributes- Contact L

Batting Cages vs. LHP- "Hit off southpaws in the batting cage"
Primary Attributes- Contact L
Secondary Attributes- Contact R

Weight Room- "Beef up your power by hitting the weight room"
Primary Attributes- Power L, Power R
Seconday Attributes- Power L, Power R

Batting Coach- "Work with your coach to improve your swing"
Primary Attributes- Vision, Plate Discipline, Clutch
Seconday Attributes- Discipline/Clutch, Vision/Clutch, Vision/Discipline

Bunting Drills- "Learn to bunt with presice accuracy"
Primary Attributes- Bunting Ability
Seconday Attributes- Drag Bunting

Drag Bunting- "Learn how to bunt for hits consistently"
Primary Attributes- Drag Bunting
Seconday Attributes- Bunting Ability/Speed

Stretching- "Keep yourself limber and loose to avoid injuries"
Primary Attirbutes- Durablity
Secondary Attributes- Reaction Time

Sprints- "Sprints will help you improve your speed"
Primary Attributes- Speed
Seconday Attributes- Base Running Ability

Long Toss- "Long toss will improve your arm strength"
Primary Attributes- Arm Strength
Seconday Attributes- Arm Accuracy

Infield Drills- "Improve your fielding skills"
Primary Attributes- Throwing Accuracy, Fielding Ability
Seconday Attributes- Throwing Strength, Reaction Time

Shagging Fly Balls- "Learn to take better routes to the ball"
Primary Attributes- Reaction Time
Seconday Attributes- Fielding Ability

Base Running Drills- "Improve your skills on the base paths"
Primary Attributes- Base Running Ability, Base Running Aggressiveness
Secondary Attributes-Speed, Base Running Aggressiveness/Base Running Ability

J5.Batting Performance
New to this years game is the tracking of your batting performance. Depending
on whether he gets alot of hits or frequently strikes out or rarely gets on
base he will recieve a bonus or decline in his hitting ability. Obviously this
doesn't matter much to pitchers but if your in the NL it's something else for
you pay attention to, if you want.

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K.Off-Season
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For all the stuff you have to do during the season you would the off-season
would be worse right? Well you'd be wrong you have 4 options to look at in the
off-season menu which are Retirements, Hall of Fame inductees, Career 
progression and end off-season. There really isn't anything to do except look
at a numerical representation of how much better you got. Outside of that just
continue on to end off-season and start the next year. If you are in a
contract year then you will have the option of resigning with your old team or
accepting a contract from a new team. Regardless of what you do, you can get
alot more then what they are offering(depending on how good your player is).
Make sure that you save your game before you go into the off season so when
you negotiate your contract you can see how much money you can get out of 
them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
L.Retirement
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you choose the retirement option in the Career Home menu your manager will
give you a message basically supporting your decision to retire. After that
message you will see your plaque which will have a paragraph basically 
outlining how great or poor you were in your career. 

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M.Starter Career Progress
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like last year I will chart my pitcher development and stats as to give you
as a guide of sorts of how to develop your player or just for you to see how
I chose to develop my player. 

IMPORTANT!!! Since the goals change every 3-4 weeks I won't list them here as
they are primarily raising a certain rating or keeping a stat at a certain
level.

Pitching Delivery- Generic 19(Pitches Slider and 12-6 curve break hard)
Batting Stance- Ken Griffey Jr.(Love the batting stance)
Pitch Type 1-4SFB(Because it's the best pitch in the game if used right)
Pitch Type 2-Slider(Effective against Left and Right Handed batters) 
Pitch Type 3-Splitter(Pitch drops off the plate)
Stamina-+5
Pitch Clutch- +5
H/9-+5
HR/9-+5
K/9-+5
BB/9-+5
4SFB- Speed=+5, Control=none, Break=None
Slider- Speed=+5, Control+None, Break=+5
Splitter- Speed=+5, Control=None, Break=+5
Everything Else- None

Spring Training with the Cardinals

I took full advantage of my time with the Cardinals although they're defense
was horrible which resulted in me losing 2 games.

W=1 L=2 ERA=4.16 H=20 K=15

Total Points=660

Regular Season

April- My numbers were very realistic for April. Nothing like last years game
though. I found it hard to get batters out and routine ground balls rolled 
into the outfield as a result of poor defense.

GP=8 L=1 ERA=3.20 GS=4 SV=1 IP=25.1 H=24 R=9 ER=9 HR=1 K=20

Total points=1796
Long Toss=103 points
Infield drills=100 points(Acc, Arm)
Pitching Coach=328(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=300(K/9,HR/9)
Pitching Coach=300(BB/9,K/9)
4SFB-Vel=130
SLD-Brk=535     

May-Got called up to AAA cause someone got injured. I'm a reliever though and 
I can't seem to get into the starting rotation. This is annoying but I am
getting a nice amount of points so I won't complain.

GP=17 W=5 ERA=2.61 BSV=1 HLD=2 IP=20.2 H=20 R=6 ER=6 HR=1 BB=3 K=21

Total Points=1930
Simulated Game=71
Long Distance running=203
Pitching Coach=266(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=100(BB/9,K/9)
Pitching Coach=150(HR/9,H/9)
4S-Vel=150, Ctl=100
SL-Vel=360, Brk=300
Spl-Vel=150
Long Toss=40 points
Infield Drills=40(Fld,Reac)

June- Finally got promoted to starter in AAA in the middle of the month but
my team defense is horrible though and they make a lot of stupid mistakes. I
should also note that I am working on my pitches and per 9 ratings so i'm
ignoring my goals of improving my bunting ability. I don't want to get called
up yet anyway so that's in my favor.

GP=29 W=9 L=1 ERA=1.79 GS=4 QS=1 HLD=3 IP=55.1 H=41 R=11 ER=11 HR=3 BB=3 K=53

Total Points=2073
Long Distance running=100
Pitching Coach=100(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=138(BB/9,K/9)
4S-Vel=380, Ctl=150
SL-Vel=200, Ctl=50 ,Brk=310
Spl-Vel=150, Brk=50
Long Toss=86 points
Infield Drills=171(Acc,Arm)
Infield Drills=148(Fld,Reac)
Infield Drills=40(Reac,Fld)

July- I should note that I got 400 points for making the All-Star team. I also
had a pretty good month although I was getting hit all over though. I decided
to focus on my pitches a little more and there almost where I want them to be.

W=13 L=1 ERA=2.11 GS=10 QS=2 HLD=3 IP=85.1 H=70 R=20 ER=20 HR=6 BB=4 K=78

Total Points=1810
Simulated Game=153 points
Long Distance running=194
Pitching Coach=100(K/9,HR/9)
Pitching Coach=200(BB/9,K/9)
Pitching Coach=150(HR/9,H/9)
4S-Vel=200, Ctl=100
SL-Vel=110, Brk=225
Spl-Ctl=100 ,Brk=50
Long Toss=180 points
Infield Drills=48(Fld,Reac)


August- I had a pretty good August and my pitcher has really started to hit
his stride and is finding his spots more and more making it easier to pitch.
His confidence is also going up which helped me keep my ERA unchanged from
last month. I got called up to the majors in the end of the month and that
accounted for an increase in my contract to $390,000.

W=15 L=3 ERA=2.10 GS=15 QS=3 HLD=3 IP=111.1 H=93 R=26 ER=26 HR=8 BB=6 K=103

Total Points=1295
Simulated Game=259 points
Long Distance running=373 points
Pitching Coach=100(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=50(BB/9,K/9)
4S-Vel=90
SL-Vel=120, Brk=50
Spl-Brk=40
Infield Drills=50(Fld,Reac)
Infield Drills=163(Reac,Fld)

September- I came up as a long Reliever for the entire month then got added 
into the starting rotation after the season was over and we didn't make the
playoffs so that's points missed right there.

MLB Stats
W=1 L=1 ERA=2.96 IP=27.1 H=24 R=9 ER=9 HR=2 K=27
AB=8 Avg=.750 H=6 RBI=3

AAA Stats
W=15 L=3 ERA=2.10 GS=15 QS=3 HLD=3 IP=111.1 H=93 R=26 ER=26 HR=8 BB=6 K=103
AB=28 Avg=.500 H=14 R=3 RBI=1

Total Points=1225
Pitching Coach=150(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=135(BB/9,K/9)
4S-Vel=40(Max), Ctl=50
SL-Vel=100, Brk=40(Max)
Spl-Vel=60, Brk=360
Long Toss=150 points
Infield Drills=100(Acc,Arm)
Infield Drills=40(Fld,Reac)

Career Progression(Rookie Year)

Age=24
Overall=+21
Stamina=+8
Pitch Clutch=+13
H/9=+15
HR/9=+22
K/9=+21
BB/9=+22
Bunting=-11
Dur=+6
Fld=+11
Arm Str=+19
Arm Acc=+17
Reaction=+13

The Cardinals offered me a 2 year contract worth $1 million but I added a 
player option for myself since I know i'm going to be much better next year
and will get much more money.

2nd Season(Memphis Redbirds)

April- I would say I had a good month although I only got 1 win in 4 starts.
I didn't lose but my defense was walking over to fly balls and grounders 
letting them get through for BS hits.

W=1 L=0 ERA=1.61 GS=4 QS=2 IP=22.1 H=19 R=4 ER=4 HR=0 BB=1 K=22

Total Points=881
Long Distance Running=176 points
Pitching Coach=200(H/9,PCLT)
Pitching Coach=100(BB/9,K/9)
Pitching Coach=125(HR.9, H/9)
4S-Vel=(Max), Ctl=55
SL-Vel=50, Brk=(Max)
Spl-Vel=100, Brk=200

May-

Long Distance Running-60 points
NEW PITCH!!Running FB.
RFB-Brk=313
Long Toss-40
Infield Drills-40(Fld, Reac)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N.Pitch Release Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I was pitching in one of my games I decided to outline the different
effects that you can get from manipulating your release point(the pitch cursor
when you throw). I will outline the effects of each pitch when it's throw 
perfect, early, or late. Also if anyone has suggestions for changing the 
layout to make i easier to read i'm all ears.

IMPORTANT!!! For this I will be using a Right Handed pitcher so if your 
pitcher is left handed the direction of break will obviously be different
though i'm not sure how much everything else will change. Also when I say
cursor I mean the ball indicator or where you choose to put the pitch.

4-Seam-I've had more success getting strikeouts with a late or early release
point(depending on the hand of the batter). Where this pitch winds up is more
indicative of your control.

Early Release=Pitch will be higher than the cursor.

Perfect Release=Pitch will stay where the cursor was(BB/9, Control dependant)

Late Release=Pitch will be slightly below cursor and will trail in direction
thrown(if intended for the inside it will move farther inside than you want)

Suggestions- I throw this pitch on any count except 0-0. Normally keep it low
for weak hitters and for power hitters I like to challenge them up in the 
zone. This is once again a risky strategy, and resulted in some HR's for me
but I love the risk.

2-Seam- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Cutter- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Splitter-When throwing this pitch I've noticed that you would want to get the
release perfect as the pitch doesn't look like it's moves more but hitters 
have a much harder time hitting it(apparently).

Early Release=Pitch starts out higher than cursor and breaks less than normal
Has resulted in an unusually high pitch sometimes. 

Perfect Release=Pitch will hit the target you set(depending on your control
and BB/9) and will have a strong break. Hardest to hit for CPU batters.

Late Release=Pitch Starts out lower than where you left it and breaks harder
than normal. Pitch has went straight to the dirt sometimes. Most effective on
2 strike counts and also should have at least 3/4 break to be effective K 
pitch.

Suggestions-I normally throw this pitch high in the zone(since it drops in and
for some reason seems hard to hit). This is risky because when it does get hit
it will usually be taken out of the park or at least for a double. Depending
on the vision of the batter I will throw this low in the zone or a 2 strike
count so it falls out and he either hits a weak grounder or swings and misses.

Running Fastball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Curveball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Slider-One of the deadliest pitches in the game when located properly. It has
a good number of variations depending on the release point.

Early Release=This almost always results in your slider hanging which is 
dangerous no matter where it is.

Perfect Release=The pitch stays where the cursor was and breaks the hardest.
Will often result in a swing and miss if placed on the corner.

Late Release=My favorite release point for this pitch as it starts out further
to the left of the cursor and breaks hard. 

Suggestions- I love to throw this pitch on 2 strike counts or even on 1 strike
counts if if i'm behind. I always make sure this hits corner(since my break is
I move the cursor a little to the left) and it almost always moves out of the
box and gives me a K.

Sinker-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Slurve-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Forkball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Knuckle Curve-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Screwball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Knuckleball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

12-6 Curveball- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Sweeping Curveball- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Gyroball- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Changeup-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Circle-Change-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Palmball-

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

Eephus Pitch- 

Early Release= 

Perfect Release=

Late Release=

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
O.Pitching Tips
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section I decided to make after I came across a couple of useful tips
that will help you destroy your competiton both CPU and Human.

IMPORTANT!!!
Tip#1- Don't use full energy on any of your pitches!! Almost everytime I do
this my pitch gets hit. The only you should do this is if you change 
speeds to throw the hitter off!! This is the EASIEST WAY TO GET STRIKEOUTS!!!
This tip still applies though the AI seems to have wisened up a bit.

IMPORTANT!!!
Tip#2- Memorize your arm slots and the way each pitch moves from a certain
arm slot. This is important because you can further manipulate where your 
pitch will go after you start the meter. For example I have the submarine
delivery. When I throw pitches high in the zone I try to get the marker after
the perfect point because it makes the pitch go lower and stay in zone. This
will take some time mastering but once you do it, the value can't be measured,
especially against human opponents because they can see where you mean to
throw the pitch but not where it will end up.

Tip#3- Manipulate the pitching cursor. What I mean by this is intentionally
miss the middle of the cursor to give your pitch more movement. For example
lets say you place a slider on the bottom of the strike zone. When you see the
pitch meter instead of getting the marker right in the middle, you get it 
before it reaches the middle. This will make the pitch go higher than it was
supposed to. If you put the cursor after the middle point the pitch will go 
lower than you wanted it to. Manipulating the pitch cursor can help you fool
human batter and will even fool the computer on occasion. This is even more
important in this year's game as it's key to being a great pitcher.

Tip#4- Keep all of your pitches low in the zone. This makes it harder to knock
out of the park. Also look at the spread chart for the batter you are facing.
Tailor your pitches around where they don't like to hit(For batter who have a
high percentage pulling the ball keep your pitches away, For batters who like
to opposite side, jam them in on the hands.

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P.Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Sony for making another great baseball simulation
-Gamefaqs for posting my guide
-Wikipedia for providing me with some of the pitch grips
-My fellow gamers for reading and using this FAQ
-My fiance who actually wanted me to write this

Any questions or comments please E-mail me at:

[email protected]