Baseball 365 by Strat-O-Matic Rules

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You can have as many teams as you want. That's part of the fun! You can have more than one team playing at a time and try different strategies against different people. The only restriction is you can't have more than one team in the same league under default league settings.

You can buy a Baseball 365 credit for $19.99 to play any of our Player Sets (we have a deeply discounted New Member Special for first-timers that's $14.95 total for your first 2 teams!). You can also save by buying 5 Baseball 365 team credits for $79.99. You'll play a full 162-game baseball schedule and a postseason in just nine weeks!

An Auto League is simply a standard 12-team league with all the default settings for your given Player Set into which all managers selecting the "Join an Auto League" option are automatically placed. This option is the fastest way to start playing, though it is only available to Auto List Draft teams.

Auto League settings for All-Time Greats, Superstar Sixties: $80M salary cap, No DH, 5/10/20% free agent drop penalty.

Auto League Settings for Baseball Daily: $100M salary cap, DH, 5% free agent drop penalty.

Auto League settings for 2007-2022, 1999, 1986, 1982 seasons: $80M salary cap, DH, 5/10/20% free agent drop penalty.

Auto League settings for Back to the '90s, Back to the '80s, The '70s Game: $80M salary cap, DH, 5/10/20% free agent drop penalty.

Type A: Auto List Draft

Step 1: Fill Out Your Draft List

Step 2: Rank Your Players

• If a player was selected by only one team, that team gets him.
• If a player was selected by more than one team:
  • The team that ranked that player highest gets him.
  • If more than one team tied for ranking that player the highest:
    • That player is randomly awarded to one of those teams that ranked him the same.
  • For each team that lost out on a player:
    • The team receives the next highest-priced available player that is not on another team's draft card and has the same primary position of the original player that the team lost out on. The player received cannot exceed the original player's salary unless no other players remain at or below the original player's salary.

Step 3: Choose Your Ballpark

Step 4: Join a League

Type B: Live Draft

In a DH league, you may start him at DH in your lineups, and in games where he is also the starting pitcher, he will hit for himself in that spot (although, like in real life, it would be considered the pitcher's spot and you would play without the DH for that game. When a relief pitcher replaces him on the mound, that pitcher replaces him in the lineup).

In a DH league, you may start him at DH in your lineups, and in games where he is also the starting pitcher, he is able to stay in the lineup at DH even if a relief pitcher replaces him on the mound, thanks to the "Shohei Ohtani Rule" of 2022.

• - In a league using the Standard Injury System (most common), his 600+ real-life AB+BB limits his injuries at the plate to 3 additional days, but on the mound he didn't have enough real-life IP to limit him from suffering a possible maximum injury of 15 additional days.
• - In a league using the Super-Advanced Injury System (rare), his 600+ real-life AB+BB limits his injuries at the plate to 3 additional days, and on the mound his 20+ real-life starts limit his injuries on the mound to 30 additional days.

In an Auto List Draft league, you choose your ballpark before you join a league, and once your league fills and the draft is run, you may not change your ballpark. If you miss out on players that you wanted for your ballpark, you'll be able to look for others that fit better during the waivers and free agent periods before the season begins.

In a Live Draft league, you choose your ballpark after your draft, before 11:59pm ET on Sunday, the night before the season starts. Up until that time, you may change your ballpark choice as many times as you need to. After that deadline, you may not change your ballpark.

Yes. You are guaranteed to get the ballpark you select regardless of what the other teams in your league have chosen.

If you don't choose a ballpark before 11:59pm ET on Sunday, the night before your season starts, one will be assigned to you completely at random. You won't be able to change it after this point, so be sure to choose one yourself before the deadline!

The Waivers System was designed so that all managers have a fair shot at the free agent pool after an Auto List Draft is run. For about 36 hours after the Auto List Draft happens, all undrafted players are available on Waivers. Teams may place Waiver Claims on any available players, and after the Waivers Period is over, each of the claimed players is awarded to the team that won the rights to that player, according to the Waiver Priority system. After the Waivers Period is over, all free agents become available on a first come, first served basis, and all pickups are then immediate.

A frenzy is a no waivers free-for-all where all undrafted players become available for pickup on a first-come, first-served basis immediately after the draft.

- For Auto List Draft leagues, the draft will be run the next time the clock strikes 11pm ET after the league fills. This is when the Frenzy starts. Make sure to be quick with your free agent pickups as your coveted player may be gone before you know it! This exciting league option is not recommended for beginners.

- For Live Draft leagues, the Frenzy would start immediately after the Live Draft is over.

This setting is how much of a player's salary is withheld from the amount of money you are credited when you drop him to the free agent pool after the season starts. (Ex: If the standard 20% is in effect and you drop a player whose salary is $1,000,000, you'll receive $800,000 for your team funds instead of the full million.)

Some older out-of date browsers may not allow you to join the league even if the password is correct. If this happens, update your browser or try another one. Or just e-mail us and we will be able to add your team to the league.

Yes, but only before it fills up and drafts. At any time before that point you may leave the league by clicking on your team name and the button to leave this league. Then you can review your player set, draft list, and join/create a new league.

During the Waivers Period, click on "Free Agents" under "Your League" on the menu bar. Find the player you are interested in, and click on his salary. On the "Your Waiver Claims" page under "Your Team" you can use the drop-down menu to the right of your claim to select a player to drop. This player would be dropped only if you eventually win the claim on your desired pickup. Or, you may place this claim as simply a pickup without dropping anybody. If you are at your roster maximum or don't have enough available cash to add the claimed player you MUST designate a player to drop or the claim will not process.

As soon as your team is drafted you can start placing waiver claims. You have until the time designated on your Front Office page to place all claims before waivers are processed. The initial waiver period lasts approximately 48 hours to ensure everyone has enough time to get their claims in.

When the Waivers Period ends, our system will automatically process all claims via the following method. All teams will take turns, in Waiver Priority order. On each team's turn:

• That team will win the rights to their highest-ranked Claim.
• If the player claimed fits on the team's roster, the team will assume ownership of him.
  • A player "fits" on a roster if all salary considerations and position requirements are met, assuming the player designated to be dropped in this claim, if any, was dropped.
  • If the team designated a player to be dropped in the event this claim was won, that player will be dropped.
  • All claims by any other teams on this same player will be cancelled.
• If the player claimed does NOT fit on the team's roster, the claim will be cancelled. The team's turn is over; it does not get the chance to win another claim until its next turn in the order.
• If the player designated to be dropped in the claim is no longer on the team at the time of claim processing, the pickup of the claimed player will still be attempted as long as the player does not put you over the salary cap or maximum roster size.
• If one of your claims was added to another team with a higher waiver priority the next player on your waiver claims list would be processed when your turn comes up.

For Auto List Draft leagues:
The Waiver Priority order is based on the weight of draft picks lost from your Draft Card, among the picks up to the minimum number of players required on a team in the given player set. For example, if you have an ATG 8 team where the minimum is 24 players, if you lose out on your top ranked player on your Draft Card, that's worth 24 weighted points for Waiver Priority. If your team loses its 24th ranked player on your Draft Card, that's worth 1 weighted point. Draft picks ranked 25 and beyond would not be considered. The team with the most total weighted points would be first in the League Waiver Priority, and the team with the fewest would be last. If there is a tie for an amount of weighted points, the Waiver Priority spots are randomly assigned to those teams. You can view the League Waiver Priority list during the Waivers Period by going to "Your Waiver Claims" page.

For Live Draft leagues:
The Waiver Priority is simply the reverse of the Draft Order.

There is no maximum to the amount of claims you may make during the Waiver Period.

The order that you have your Waiver Claims in is important. When it's your turn in the Waiver Priority queue, your highest-ranked Claim (of a player that's still available) will be processed. You'll beat out any other teams that want that player, and he'll be yours if your salary and roster requirements are met. You then go to the back of the queue (even if nobody else wanted the player, and even if your Claim didn't work out), as all the rest of the teams get their highest-ranked Claims, in order.

Remember to plan out your claims and their order carefully. If one of your higher-ranked claims fails due to a salary or position requirement violation, some of your other claims may be affected, if any of them were contingent upon the first claim being successful.

Click on "Your Waiver Claims" on the left menu bar to see what waiver claims you've made. Drag your claim requests into your desired waiver claims order . Make sure to click on "Save Your Changes" to ensure your order is updated. If you change your mind on a claim request and want to delete, click on the X at the right of the claim to remove it.

Yes you may drop any player you wish. However you cannot drop players that would put you under the minimum roster requirement.

Yes. You can offer a trade by going to another team page and clicking the "Offer a trade to this team" link under their team info. Or you can offer a trade from the drop-down menu on the League Standings page. Any trades offered to you can be reviewed, accepted, and declined from your Inbox.

If your league is set up as a "Frenzy" instead of using waivers, all undrafted players are immediately available for straight pickup after the league's draft is complete. This feature is for diehards only, who choose to participate at their own risk. All players are picked up first-come, first-served so make sure to review your roster and make any moves as soon as possible.

Since most pitchers are normally more effective when facing like-handed batters (e.g. lefties are usually better against lefties), a "reverse" pitcher is defined to be a pitcher who is more effective against opposing-handed batters (e.g. a lefty who is better against righties). In the Strat-O-Matic context, a reverse LHSP is a lefty with a balance of 1R-9R, and a reverse RHSP is a righty with a balance of 1L-9L.

The balance rating for all players are shown on their team's page.

You may assign up to two backups for each fielding position in each of your default lineups. In the case of an injury to a starting player, the computer manager will attempt to substitute one of the backups (in priority order) for him at the start of a game. If the first backup happens to be in the lineup already, it will attempt to shift that backup to the injured starter's position and play the backup's backup. To illustrate:

Sample depth chart
2B: Chase Utley (backup: Freddy Sanchez)
SS: Freddy Sanchez (backup: Bill Hall)

At the start of a game, if Utley were unavailable to play, the computer manager would try to insert his first backup, Sanchez, into the starting lineup at 2B. Since Sanchez is normally the starting SS, the computer would play his backup, Hall, at SS, so that Sanchez can slide over to play 2B.

At present, although the system is able to perform multiple, separate shifts in the same lineup, it can only handle one level of a given shift. In other words, using the above example, if Hall happened to also be in the starting lineup already (e.g. in CF), instead of moving Hall to SS, it would pull someone from the bench to replace Sanchez.

Also, the backup system will NOT move the starting DH to another position even if he is the listed backup. The game will then take the next available backup or another player from the bench. For example:

Sample depth chart
1B: Paul Konerko (backup 1: Lance Berkman) (backup 2: Miguel Cairo)
DH: Lance Berkman

If Konerko is injured, the computer manager will keep Berkman in the DH spot in the lineup and skip him when choosing a new first baseman, which will be Cairo. If I wanted Berkman to start at 1B I would need to move him out of the DH role and select another player as the starting DH.

Lastly, please note that this system applies only to the beginning of a game and does not affect in-game substitutions.

For each starting position player in a given starting lineup, you may also optionally assign 1 Platoon PH, who will always come in to pinch hit for the starter when:

• - the starter is due to face an opposing pitcher who throws with the opposite hand from the pitcher who started the game, and
• - the starter is playing the position he started the game at

For example, your opponent's starting pitcher this given game is Roger Clemens (R). Your default lineup vs. RHSP is used, in which you've set Jim Thome (L) as your starting 1B, and Julio Franco (R) as his Platoon PH at 1B. In the 7th inning, Thome (who is still playing 1B) is due up to face Jesse Orosco (L) who had previously entered the game to relieve Clemens. Julio Franco, your Platoon PH at 1B, would pinch hit for Thome.

In the above example, Franco would not come in to pinch hit if Thome were no longer playing 1B (e.g. he had moved to 3B at one point during the game).

No. If there is no healthy player on your roster eligible to play that position, the computer manager will determine the best player to fill in there. Such a player fielding out of position will generally have a severe defensive penalty.

The "balance" rating, abbreviated "BAL", provides this information, and by how much. A balance rating of "9L" indicates that the player is much better vs. lefties, while a "1L" indicates that he hits lefties slightly better. "E" indicates that he hits lefties and righties equally well. "1R" indicates that he is slightly better against righties, and "9R" that he is much better against righties.

Note that the balance rating compares only that player's two sides relative to each other, not to those of other players. A player with a "2R" rating might actually hit a lefthanded pitcher better than a player with a "5L" rating if the first player is a much better hitter overall.

No. You can use any player as often as you like.

As often as you like. Changes made to the lineup must be saved in by 10 p.m. EST to take effect for that day's games.

Yes. For any games in which you specified per-game starters, those starters will be used. Otherwise, the computer will manage according to your starting rotation. You can set per-game starting pitchers by going to "Per-Game Starting Picthers" under the "Your Team" menu.

Our game engine would make its best guess at game time which starter to use, based on who's available. Although this guess would be reasonable, you can probably improve your team's performance by setting your rotation yourself.

The "balance" rating, abbreviated "BAL", provides this information, and by how much. A balance rating of "9L" indicates that the pitcher is much better vs. lefties, while a "1L" indicates that he pitches slightly better vs. lefties. "E" indicates that he pitches lefties and righties equally. "1R" indicates that he is slightly better against righties, and "9R" that he is much better against righties.

Note that the balance rating compares only that player's numbers, not those of other players. A player with a 2R rating might actually pitch better vs. a lefthanded hitter than a player with a 5L rating if the first pitcher is a much better pitcher overall.

No, there are no set usage limits. However, pitchers who are overused will get tired, and they won't pitch their best until they are rested.

As often as you like. Changes made to the lineup must be saved in by 10 p.m. EST to take effect for that day's games.

If "closer usage" is set to "maximize," the computer will use the closer(s) you specified in as many closing situations as possible. If "closer usage" is set to "normal", the computer manager will be more willing to leave the current pitcher in the game rather than go straight to the closer.

This setting simply represents the earliest inning in which, with an opposing baserunner on third and less than two outs, you would be willing to pull your infield defenders in. This maneuver increases the chance of holding the runner at third but also increases the chance of a bloop hit through the drawn-in infield.

Yes, any hitter can fill these positions. We highly recommend that you choose players for these spots who would not normally be in the starting lineup.

Defensive double-switches must be defined as a pair. They can be defined as the first and second defensive replacements or as the third and fourth defensive replacement. Any other combination will not work. For instance, a double-switch cannot be defined as the second and third replacements because the computer manager will not recognize that you wish to make a double-switch.

Then, the player who is (expected to be) in the game already should be listed second, at the position he should move to. The defensive replacement on the bench who you want to come in should be listed first, at his desired position.

Yes, you can set pitchers to multiple roles. However if he comes in for an earlier role he may not be available when you want him to come in later in the game

Baseball 365 by Strat-O-Matic will use its best judgment game-to-game in determining who the pitchers should be. Although these decisions will be reasonable, you can improve your team's performance by setting your bullpen roles yourself.

The pitcher's fatigue level can be from F0 to F9. F9 means that he is operating on all cylinders, whereas F0 indicates that he has nothing left in the tank. Normally pitchers start their appearance as F9 and maintain that level until they approach or exceed their Suggested Pitch Count. The pitcher's performance will drop as his fatigue level drops from F9 to F0.

In a DH league, you may start him at DH in your lineups, and in games where he is also the starting pitcher, he will hit for himself in that spot (although, like in real life, it would be considered the pitcher's spot and you would play without the DH for that game. When a relief pitcher replaces him on the mound, that pitcher replaces him in the lineup).

In a DH league, you may start him at DH in your lineups, and in games where he is also the starting pitcher, he is able to stay in the lineup at DH even if a relief pitcher replaces him on the mound, thanks to the "Shohei Ohtani Rule" of 2022.

• - In a league using the Standard Injury System (most common), his 600+ real-life AB+BB limits his injuries at the plate to 3 additional days, but on the mound he didn't have enough real-life IP to limit him from suffering a possible maximum injury of 15 additional days.
• - In a league using the Super-Advanced Injury System (rare), his 600+ real-life AB+BB limits his injuries at the plate to 3 additional days, and on the mound his 20+ real-life starts limit his injuries on the mound to 30 additional days.

You don't need to do anything. The game engine will use the specified backup if he was in the starting lineup or replace them with an appropriate pitcher in the rotation or bullpen role. However you will probably want to replace him in the appropriate managerial setting with the healthy player of your choice. You may also wish to make a trade or a free-agent claim.

Note: If you have not defined any backups or do not have an extra starting pitcher the computer manager will determine the best possible replacement for you.

For all information about Injuries, please visit this page.

Yes. No more than 125 distinct players may spend time on your team throughout the course of the regular season.

Immediately. You can monitor it by checking the "Transactions" section under "Your League".

You can monitor the status of your trade offers from your Inbox. Also, if you have set up e-mail notifications under "Team Preferences" you will receive an e-mail alert when you are involved in a trade.

Yes. No more than 125 distinct players may spend time on your team throughout the course of the regular season.

Once accepted, it will take place immediately. You can monitor it by checking the "Transactions" section under "Your League".

The game engine uses the Baseball 365 by Strat-O-Matic game engine to determine all results. While there is a lot involved in the process, here's a quick overview:

The Baseball 365 game engine will randomly determine whether each individual "at bat" falls on the hitter's card or the pitcher's card. There is a 50% chance of each.

After determining which card the at bat takes place on, the game engine then randomly determines which of the three columns the result will be found on, depending on whether the person being faced (the pitcher when rolling on the hitter's card, for example) is lefthanded or righthanded. Each of the three columns has the same chance of being selected.

Finally, the system simulates rolling two six-sided dice and adding the results (also referred to as 2d6)-- this represents which specific result will be applied to the at bat.

Considering the probability of different results when rolling 2d6, the most common result will be a "7" in any particular column. The next most common results being "6" and "8", then "5" and "9" and so on. "2" and "12" are the least likely results to occur.

Note: The Baseball 365 by Strat-O-Matic game engine is essentially the same as the one the Strat-O-Matic Baseball Windows game uses with some significant improvements. This engine allows the customization of many different optional rules, including those that take advantage of a computer's processing power to improve upon minor limitations of the original cards-and-dice game. Please be aware that some of the play results as shown on the cards may be slightly altered due to these rules. You can read all about which of these rules are being used, their effects, and the improvements we've made to the game engine here.

12-team leagues - Semi-Finals:
The Top Seed (the team with the best regular season record in the league) plays the Wild Card team in the Semi-Finals, UNLESS the Wild Card is in the same division, in which case the Top Seed plays the Division Winner with the worst record. The other two teams play each other in the other Semi-Finals series. The Division Winner with the better record has home-field advantage in each series.

24-team leagues - Quarter-Finals:
The top 4 Seeds (1-4) will be the 4 Division Winners, and the bottom 4 Seeds (5-8) will be the 4 Wild Card teams. Each group will be sorted by win-loss record. The Quarter-Finals matchups will be Seed 1 vs. Seed 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5. The better Seed has home-field advantage in each series.

12-team leagues - Finals:
The winners of the two Semi-Finals series play each other in the Finals. The team with the better record has home-field advantage, unless it's the Wild Card team, in which case the other team has home-field advantage.

24-team leagues - Semi-Finals:
The 4 winners of the Quarter-Finals matchups advance to the Semi-Finals. They will be re-seeded by win-loss record, with all Wild Card teams always seeded below all Division Winners. The Semi-Finals matchups will be Seed 1 vs. Seed 4, and Seed 2 vs. Seed 3. The better Seed has home-field advantage in each series.

The winners of the two Semi-Finals series play each other in the Finals. The team with the better record has home-field advantage, with the exception that a Wild Card team will never have home-field advantage over a Division Winner.

Tiebreakers for a 2-way tie are, in order:
    - Head-to-head record vs. each other
    - Run differential overall
    - Coin flip
Tiebreakers for a 3-way tie are, in order:
    - Best record vs. teams within division
    - Run differential overall
    - Coin flip

Yes they do. If you know you have clinched a playoff spot you may want to 'rest' your regulars to ensure they are healthy going into the playoffs. Just make sure to set them back when the playoffs begin!

No. Your roster can't be changed during the postseason, so make sure you've got a deep team by the trade deadline (game 142 of the regular season)!