MLB GAMECAST

How the Gamecast Works

The game page changes with the game. Before first pitch it is a scouting report, during the game it follows every pitch, and after the last out it becomes the recap. One habit pays off everywhere: tap a player. Almost every row on the page opens into more on him.

Open tonight's slateor tap the ? button on any game page for a quick tour.

Start here: tap a player

Every player row opens up

Batters, starters and relievers, before and during the game
  1. 1.
    What to Watch
    Tap any batter, either starter or a reliever and a What to Watch list drops down: up to three talking points, each graded against league average. Hitters also get their wRC+ against lefties and righties, so tonight's platoon matchup is right there.
    Look for: the GOOD and BAD tags. Each note says how far the number sits from league average and shows the sample, so you can decide how much to trust it.
  2. 2.
    The last-50 pitch map
    Open a pitcher and you get a catcher's-view strike zone with his last 50 pitches, grouped by pitch type, so you see where he really throws the ball. The legend lists each pitch with usage, average velocity and movement, and the vs LHB and vs RHB tabs show how his mix changes by the batter's hand.
    Look for: clusters hugging one edge of the zone. That is where this pitcher lives against that hand.

Before the game

The scheduled scoreboard

A gold SCHEDULED tag, first pitch time, venue and weather
  1. 1.
    Win probability bar
    The team-colored bar under the score is the model's pregame win probability for each club.
  2. 38%
    62%
    Away chance on the left, home on the right, each in the club's color. It opens at the model's pregame odds and moves on every play.
  3. 2.
    League owners
    Signed in with a fantasy league? Each team shows who drafted that franchise in your league, so you know whose night it is.
    Look for: your league-mates' names on tonight's clubs.

The pregame deck

Five tabs: Matchup, Bullpen, Trends, Predict, Deep Cuts
  1. 1.
    Matchup
    Both lineups, one through nine, measured against the opposing starter's hand. Tap any batter or either starter for the What to Watch notes, plus wRC+ against lefties and righties for hitters.
    Look for: the bold teal batters, the three biggest platoon edges (or collapses) against the starter's hand.
  2. 2.
    Bullpen
    Every reliever's workload over the last three days as one stacked bar, lefties and righties grouped, ERA under each name. Yesterday's pitches sit at the base of the bar in white; pitches from two and three days ago stack above in orange, so the full bar is the three-day load. Bold names are fresh arms: nothing yesterday and a light three-day total. Dimmed columns are tired arms, either a heavy outing yesterday or back-to-back days (tagged B2B in red). Tap any reliever for the same drilldown the starters get: percentile bars, the pitch legend, the last-50 map and talking points.
    Look for: a dimmed closer. If the ninth gets tight, the manager may have to trust someone else tonight.
  3. 3.
    Trends
    Recent form: each club's last five results, both starters' last three starts and both leadoff men's slash lines over their last seven games.
    Look for: a starter trending the wrong way over his last three outings.
  4. 4.
    Predict
    Our simulation of tonight's game, run thousands of times: win odds, expected runs and the full spread of run totals, with venue and weather underneath.
  5. 5.
    Deep Cuts
    Every league leaderboard where either club ranks in the top five or bottom five. Each one carries a green TOP 5 or red BOTTOM 5 tag, the club's exact league rank (say 28th of 30, not just bottom five) and the sample behind the stat, so you know how far to trust it. It is the quickest way to find the storylines nobody is talking about.
    Look for: a club in the top five on one board and the bottom five on a related one, like elite barrels with a bottom-five bullpen. That tension usually decides the game.
  6. Below the deck, the Team Stats card puts the two clubs' season averages side by side. Once the game is live, the eye icon in the header flips you back to this preview whenever you want it.

During the game

The live scoreboard

A red LIVE tag, inning, outs and the count
  1. 1.
    Baserunner diamond
    Between the two scores: occupied bases in gold, ball, strike and out dots underneath, and a sprint-speed arc on every runner.
    Look for: a wide red arc on the runner at second. He is scoring on a single.
  2. B
    S
    O
    Runners on first and second, one out, 2-1 count. Gold squares are occupied bases. The arc on each runner is his sprint speed: a wide red arc is a burner, a short blue one moves station to station.
  3. 2.
    Last play and HI LEV
    The latest play runs under the win probability bar, and turns bold with a red HI LEV tag when the leverage index says the moment is big.
    Look for: the HI LEV tag (leverage 1.5 or higher). Those are the moments that decide games.
  4. 3.
    Play banner
    When a play ends, a banner sweeps across the scoreboard: the result, the final pitch on a small strike zone, expected batting average, exit velocity and distance, where the ball landed and how the runners moved. Scroll down and a compact scoreboard sticks to the top of the screen with the same banner.
    Look for: SCORES in red when runs come home. Tap the banner to clear it early.
  5. 4.
    TV sync
    The page reads MLB's raw feed, which usually beats your TV or stream. The TV SYNC strip holds everything on the page back in five-second steps so nothing gets spoiled.
    Look for: the page running ahead of your stream. Tap -5S a few times to line it up; LIVE snaps back to real time.

The at-bat deck

Four panels: Matchup, Last 50, Strike Zone, Win Prob
  1. 1.
    Matchup card
    The batter against the pitcher, keyed to the opposing hand: hot zones and percentile bars up top, each player's season and today's line, and the live strike zone with every pitch of the at-bat plotted.
    Look for: percentile bars at 85 or higher in green are elite; 15 or lower in red is a real hole. Hot zones run blue (cold) to red (hot), from the catcher's view.
  2. 2.
    Tap a player row
    Tap either player's header for a What to Watch list of up to three talking points. The pitcher's list adds his pitch legend and a map of his last 50 pitches against this batter's hand.
    Look for: the GOOD and BAD tags. Each note says how far the number sits from league average and shows the sample.
  3. 3.
    Last 50 and Strike Zone
    Last 50 sprays the batter's recent batted balls onto tonight's park, drawn to its real dimensions. Strike Zone is the full-size zone with pitch types in color and the result of each pitch.
    Look for: the clusters on the tendency map, where this pitcher lives against this hand.
  4. 4.
    Win Prob
    The live win probability line, shaded in the color of whichever club is ahead, with innings along the bottom, leverage bars underneath and the three biggest swings listed below.
    Look for: the tall leverage bars under the curve. That is where the game turned.

The tabs at the bottom

At Bat, Plays, Team Stats, Box, Games
  1. 1.
    Plays
    Every play of the game, sorted by WPA (biggest swings first) or in order. Each row has the batter and pitcher, exit velocity, launch angle, distance and expected batting average, how the runners moved, a small spray dot, the score after the play, and a Savant video link when one exists.
    Look for: the tag on each play: the team logo and how far that play moved win probability.
  2. 2.
    Team Stats
    The line score, the two clubs side by side, and Tonight's Bats: the hitters sorted by how much win probability each one added or gave away.
    Look for: each club's hitting with runners in scoring position and runners left on, the story of most close games, plus hard-hit, barrel and chase rates.
  3. 3.
    Box
    A traditional box score with away and home tabs: full batting and pitching lines, an ON MOUND tag on the current pitcher and an inning-by-inning scorebook view.
    Look for: the Classic and By Inning switch. By Inning turns the box into an old-school scorebook.
  4. 4.
    Games
    Tonight's full slate, live games first, then upcoming, then finals, so you can jump to another game without going back to the scoreboard. A ticker of other scores and a pitcher strip run just above the tabs.
    Look for: the live games at the top of the list.

After the final

Recap mode

Recap, Decisions, Top Plays, Matchup
  1. 1.
    Recap
    A recap headline and the final win probability chart, with the final score and the three biggest swings marked on the line. Decisions lists the winning and losing pitchers and the save. Top Plays keeps the full play list ranked by WPA. The eye icon flips back to the pregame preview if you want to see how the forecast held up.
    Look for: the turning point, the play with the biggest win probability swing, with the bases, outs and leverage at the time.
The fastest way to learn it is to open a live game and start tapping.Go to scores

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