fair ball Play

How to play

Pick your team and play the computer. You bat in your half of each inning and pitch in the other. An exhibition is three innings and a full game is nine, with extra innings if it's tied. After each at-bat, press Space or tap Continue for the next batter.

Hitting

The aim circle follows the pitch into the amber location hint, and an on-time swing lines a single up the middle.
  • Aim the white circle at where the ball will cross the plate. Move the mouse or use WASD. On a phone, drag on the field.
  • Swing by clicking or pressing Space just before the ball reaches the plate. On a phone, tap the field.
  • Get the ball in the center of the circle and time it well for solid contact. The dashed outer ring is weak contact. Swing early to pull the ball and late to go the other way. Aim below the ball to lift it and above it for a grounder.
  • Swing types: Contact (C) gives more room for error but less distance. Power (Shift) hits farther but needs sharper aim and timing. Bunt (B) squares to bunt. Press the same key again to go back to a Normal swing, or pick one below the field on a phone.
  • Hot and cold zones: red squares on the strike zone mark where the batter hits best, and blue squares where he struggles. Darker means stronger. Look for pitches in his red zones. The player cards show the same grid.
  • Hints: pitch read hints give an early clue to the pitch type, and pitch location hints show a rough area for the pitch. Turn either off before the game or from the pause menu.
  • Learning to time it: the Pitch pace menu before the game (also in the pause menu) can slow every pitch to Slower (0.74×) or Practice (0.56×). Those two paces also add a timing bar under the batter's ratings, with a green window for an on-time swing. Real time, the default, is full speed with no bar.

Pitching

Three taps start the meter, set speed, and stop the returning marker in the green. The dashed gold line previews the sinker, which gets a swinging strike three.
  • Pick a pitch with 1–9 or by tapping it in the list. A dashed gold line previews how it should move.
  • Aim the amber target the same way you aim a swing.
  • The batter's hot zones show red on the strike zone and his cold zones blue. Keep the ball out of the red and work the blue.
  • Throw with three taps of Space or the pitch button: once to start the speed meter, once to set speed, and once when the returning marker passes through the green target. Your aim locks when you set speed.
  • More speed shrinks the green target and tires your pitcher faster. Setting speed earlier gives you a wider target. Missing the green can send the pitch well away from where you aimed.
  • Watch the energy bar by your pitcher's name. Tired pitchers lose command, spin, and a little speed. Open the Manager (M) between pitches to bring in a reliever.

Fielding and running

On a single, auto-fielding picks a throw to second and the outfielder makes it. Pressing 1–4 would have sent it somewhere else.
  • Fielding is automatic. Fielders run down the ball and catch it on their own. With Auto-fielding on (the default), they make the suggested throw as soon as they have the ball.
  • To override the throw, press 1 first, 2 second, 3 third, or 4 home, or tap a base on a phone. You can choose before the fielder even has the ball.
  • Turn Auto-fielding off before the game or from the pause menu if you want to call every throw. Fielders then hold the ball until you choose, and Space makes the suggested play.
  • Baserunning is automatic too. When you're batting, Space sends every runner farther, G sends only the lead runner, and H holds them.
  • Steals: when you're batting with runners on, press 1, 2, or 3 to send the runner on that base, and R, T, or Y to change his lead. When you're pitching, J, K, and L throw over to first, second, and third.

Other keys

  • Esc pauses the game.
  • M opens the Manager for relievers, pinch hitters, and defensive changes.
  • Hold Tab to see every pitch of the current at-bat.