TABLE OF CONTENTS
STARTUP INFORMATION 2-3
WELCOME TO MLB PENNANT RACE 4
CONTROL SUMMARY 5-6
MAIN MENU 7
EXHIBITION PLAY 7
Play Mode 7
League Select 8
Team Select 8
Home Team Select 8
Starting Lineup 9
Batting Order 10
ON THE DIAMOND 11
Batting 11
Pitching 11
Fielding 11
Base-Running 12
Throwing 12
Check Scoreboard 12
Check Batter Stats 12
Check Runners 12
DEFENSE MENU 13-16
SEASON 17-18
PLAYOFFS 19
PLAYER TRADES 19
Create Player 20
Reset Rosters 21
Trade Players 21
HOMERUN DERBY 22
OPTIONS 22
GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS 23
CREDITS 24
3
Welcome to
MLB PENNANT RACE
The makers of NFL GAMEDAY and NHL FACE OFF step up to the
plate with MLB PENNANT RACE. The game you're about to play
combines the most sophisticated 32-bit graphics with an innovative game
design. You'll be able to play single Exhibition Games, full Seasons, or go
straight to the Playoffs. All the exciting action and subtle strategy of real Major
League Baseball is at your fingertips. The only thing missing is the smell of hot
dogs, foul ball souvenirs, and the occasional rain delay.
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CONTROL SUMMARY
--------------------
The following summary outlines the basic game controls. For a more complete
explanation of the controls, see On the Diamond on page 8.
OFFENSE (Batting)
Select Swing Type (except in Arcade Mode) Triangle, X, X
Hit and Run (all runners go) Rl ,R2
Steal Lead Runner Triangle
Steal One Runner (w/Direcrional Pad) Square
Bunt Circle + D-Pad
Swing Bat X
OFFENSE (Base Running)
1st Base Right
2nd Base Up
3rd Base Left
Home Plate Down
Advance One Runner (w/Directional Pad) Triangle
Return One Runner (w/Directional Pad) X
Advance All Runners Square
Return All Runners Circle
Stop All Runners Rl,R2
Lead Off All Runners Ll
Bring Back All Runners to Base L2
Bring Back to Specific Base D-Pad + Ll/L2
Bring Up Score Board Select
Bring UP Offensive Menus Start
Move Batter in Batter Box D-Pad + R2
5
DEFENSE (Pitching)
Select Type & Speed (except in Arcade Mode) Triangle, Circle, X
Target Pitch D-Pad
Throw to 1st Circle
Throw to 2nd Triangle
Throw to 3rd Square
Throw Selected Pitch X
*In Arcade Mode, the D-Pad selects the pitch type
DEFENSE (Fielding)
Move Fielder D-Pad D-Pad
Turbo (Speed Burst) Circle
Jump X
Dive X + D-Pad
DEFENSE (Throwing)
Throw to Cutoff R1, R2, L1, L2
Throw to 1st Circle
Throw to 2nd Triangle
Throw to 3rd Square
Throw Home X
Lob Throw Tap
Regular Throw Press
6
MAIN MENU
--------------------
D-Pad up/down to highlight an option.
Press X to select the highlighted option.
Press Triangle to go back to the previous menu.
ALL THE MENUS IN THE GAME OPERATE JUST LIKE THE MAIN MENU.
EXHIBITION PLAY
--------------------
Exhibition Games do not count in the standings and cannot be saved. Develop
your skills in Exhibition Games before you hit the road for a full season schedule
or for the playoffs.
PLAY MODE
Select the desired play mode in the same way as you selected from the Main
Menu. Notice that the controller represents "player" and the console unit repre-
sents the "computer."
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LEAGUE SELECT
Follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen to select the first league. hen
you're finished selecting the first league and team, you'll follow the same process
for the second.
* D-Pad left/right to highlight the desired league.
* Press X to select the desired league.
TEAM SELECT
With the league selected, now you need to choose the team.
* D-Pad left/right to cycle through all the team logos. When the desired team
appears, press X
HOME TEAM SELECT
With both teams selected, now it's time to decide which team is Home and
which is the Visitor.
D-Pad left/right to reverse the Home/Visitors
teams.
When you've made your choice, press X
to continue.
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STARTING LINEUP
The lineups screen allows you to shift players to different positions, substitute
players, and change the batting order.
When you're finished making changes to the
lineups, highlight Done and press X.
If you wish to return to the previous screen,
press Triangle.
POSITION CHANGE
Use this function to shift players in the field without changing the batting order.
For example, if you want your center fielder and left fielder to switch positions,
you can do it here. Note: pitchers can't play in the field and fielders can't pitch.
* Select Position Change.
* Highlight one of the players you wish to move to a different position, and
press X.
* Highlight the player at the position where you want to move the previously
highlighted player. (Notice that player's position is now flashing.)
* Press X to switch positions.
Use this function to substitute a player into the lineup from the fielding/pitching
roster. When substituting from the fielding roster, the substitute plays the
position of the player he's substituting for, regardless of the position shown next
to his name on the fielding roster.
* Select Player Change.
* Select the player you wish to remove from the lineup.
The appropriate roster (Fielding/Pitching) appears with the player you just
removed flashing at the top of the list.
* Select the player you wish to insert into the lineup.
The substitute automatically takes the position of the player you removed.
BATTING ORDER
When you move a player down in the batting order, the player whose spot he
takes moves directly above him. When you move a player up in the batting
order, the player whose spot he takes moved directly below him.
* Select Batting Order.
* Select the batter you wish to move.
* D-Pad the highlighted player to the desired spot in the batting order, and
then press X
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ON THE DIAMOND
--------------------
BATTING
It's important that you familiarize yourself with
your batters so you can capitalize on their
strengths and avoid their weaknesses. It will
help you to know that the Power swing, while it
generates more bat-speed and thus more power,
increases the chance of a wiff. Conversely, the
Contact swing takes some of the speed off the bat but allows for more control.
Normal is, of course, the player's regular swing.
PITCHING
You want to get out of every inning in the fewest pitches possible. Where
stamina is an issue (in Veteran and All-Star Levels), it's important to know that
the harder (faster) you throw, the more fatigue your pitcher will suffer. A little
research on the batter never hurts, either. Most power hitters love to see high
heat.
FIELDING
A Fielders Speed and Leaping rating determine his ability to get to the ball. His
Glove rating determines his ability to catch the ball. You'll want to familiarize
yourself with your fielders to better know how to position them on the field and
control them when the ball is hit.
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BASE-RUNNING
A runners Speed and Stolen Base statistic indicate his ability to steal a base.
You'll want to test the pitcher's pick off move against your lead off to see how
much advantage you can take on a steal.
When running with the ball in play, you need to gauge your runners speed with
the fielders arm. Sometimes it's simply a matter of making an instantaneous
decision whether or not to gamble.
THROWING
As soon as the fielder collect the ball, you can throw it. If you don't think you
can get the lead runner, try to nab another runner. The runner's speed and your
fielder's arm rating become important when the play is likely to be a close one.
CHECK SCOREBOARD
* To check the scoreboard and the batters due up, press R2.
CHECK BATTER STATS
* To check the stats of the batter at the plate, press L2.
CHECK RUNNERS
When you're pitching, you can check the run-
nets on first and third.
To check the runner on first, press R1.
To check the runner on third, press L1.
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DEFENSE MENU
--------------------
When you're on defense, you can access the Defense Menu.
PRESS START BEFORE THE PITCH TO PAUSE THE GAME AND BRING
UP THE DEFENSE MENU.
The eight options on the menu are explained below.
* To activate an option, highlight it and press X
LINEUP
The Lineup menu allows you to make fielding and pitching changes in the same
way as you made them on the Lineup Screen before the game. In addition, this
menu offers a database of expanded player statistics.
D-Pad up/down to cycle through the player
stars, beginning with the pitchers.
Press X to return to the Lineup menu.
PLAYER LEVEL
There are three pitching levels: Rookie, Veteran, and All Star.
In Rookie mode, you pitchers never tire out or lose control of their pitches.
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In Veteran mode, your pitchers will show some signs of fatigue after several
innings.
In All-Star mode, your pitchers is liable to tire easily, just like real major league
hurlers.
STRATEGY
The strategy screen allows you to shift your infielders and outfielders in a variety
of ways to suit particular situations. Each of the four shift options offer their
own choices.
Select the kind of shift you would like to
make.
D-Pad left/right to highlight your choice, and
then press X
INFIELD SHIFT
Shift the infield left, right, or to guard the foul lines, to compensate for individ-
ual batters. Right handed batters generally hit to the left side, and vice versa.
Guarding the lines can prevent extra-base hits.
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IN FIELD DEPTH
Changing the infield depth affects the range of individual infielders. In general,
u want to pull infielders in when there's a force-play at home and you can't
afford to give up a run. Moving infielders back, into Double Play depth,
increases their range and makes it harder get the ball past them.
OUTFIELD SHIFT
Shift the outfielders in the same circumstances as you would shift the infielders.
Shifting is sometimes called 'overplaying."
OUTFIELD DEPTH
You'll want your outfielders to play shallow to prevent a run from scoring on a
bloop single or base hit through the infield. Or you can bring them in when a
hitter who lacks power is at the plate. When a hitter with undeniable power is at
the plate, sometimes it's a good idea to play deep.
CAMERA VIEW
* Highlight one of the four camera views and then press
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OPTIONS
The Options menu allows you to customize your game using a variety of differ-
ent features.
RADAR GUN: Displays the pitch speed
DISTANCE METER: Displays the length of each hit
ANNOUNCER: Play by Play audio
BALL MARKER: Shows where the ball will cross the plate
AUTO FIELDING: The computer fields for you
ARCADE MODE: Simplifies Pitcher/Batter interface
COMPUTER: Turns computer opponent on/off
ARCADE MODE
In Arcade mode, the pitching an batting menus are removed. When pitching in
Arcade mode, the D-Pad selects the pitch type. Up=Slow, Down=Fast,
Left=Curve, Righr=Curve. As the ball approaches the batter, you can use the
D-Pad to control it in the air.
CHANGE STADIUM
Available in Exhibition mode only, select the
desired stadium from the list and then
press X
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SEASON
--------------------
The Season option allows you to begin a new season or continue an old one.
STANDINGS
The Standings screen displays the current divisional standings.
D-Pad up/down to cycle through the six MLB divisions.
LEAGUE LEADERS
The League Leaders database displays the top eight players by league in 16
offensive and defensive categories. The number one player in the selected stat
category is displayed in the selection window.
To switch leagues, D-Pad left/right.
To change the stats category, D-Pad up/down.
Press X to activate the player list, and the
D-Pad up/down to display the players on the list.
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PLAYER STATS
The Player Stats screen displays all the individual player stats for all the MLB
teams. See page 21 for a list of all the abbreviations.
D-Pad left/right to cycle through all teams.
D-Pad up/down to cycle through the players
on the selected team.
Press X to return to the Season Menu.
PLAY GAME
The schedule screen displays all the regular reason games for the selected team.
You can play as many or as few of the games as you wish. When you skip ahead
on the schedule, the computer generates results for the unplayed games on the
dates prior the game you select.
D-Pad up/down to highlight the game you
wish to pay.
To change the number of innings in the
selected game, use the L1/L2 finger buttons.
Press X to proceed to the lineup screen.
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PLAYOFFS
--------------------
The Playoffs Mode takes you straight to the post-season Divisional Series. If you
win there, you move on to the League Pennant Series, and after that to the
World Series.
The screens function just like those in Exhibition mode, and on-screen
instructions are provided to assist you.
PLAYER TRADES
--------------------
The Trade Player screen not only allows you to swap players on a one-for-one
basis, but it let's you create new players and add them to existing rosters, as well
as restore the league rosters to their original condition.
CREATE PLAYER
The Create Player screen displays a Free Agent pool, from which you can create
new players. Before you begin, highlight and select Create Player.
* D-Pad up/down to highlight a free agent, and press X to select him. If you
select a pitcher, that player can only be a pitcher. If you select a fielder, you
can change that player's position when you modify him.
Use this screen to construct a player in the following manner.
Use the D-Pad to highlight the desired attribute
box, and then press X
D-Pad up/down to cycle through the options in
the box. In the First/Last Name boxes,
up/down cycles through the alphabet, and
left/right moves the cursor.
When you're satisfied with the entry, press X
and use the D-Pad to move to the next
attribute box.
FIRST NAME: Player's first name
LAST NAME: Player's last name
POS: Fielding Position
NUMBER: Uniform Number
THROWS: Throwing Arm
BATS: Batting Side
HIT L: Skill vs. Pitches on the Left Side of the Plate
HIT C: Skill vs. Pitches at the Center of the Plate
HIT R: Skill vs. Pitches on the Right Side of the Plate
(Maximum Combined Total = 100)
SPEED: Foot Speed
ARM: Throwing Arm
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GLOVE: Skill with the Glove
LEAP: Leaping Ability
(Maximum Combined Total = 100)
CONTACT: Skill as a Contact Hitter
NORMAL: Skill as a Normal Hitter
POWER: Skill as a Power Hitter
(Maximum Combined Total 100)
* When you're finished creating the player, press X and then select DONE.
RESET ROSTERS
To clear all the changes to all the rosters, highlight Reset Rosters and press X
TRADE PLAYERS
The Trade Players screen allows you to swap players one-for-one.
Select Trade Players from the menu.
D-Pad up/down to highlight a team, and then
press X
D-Pad up/down to highlight a player to trade,
and then press X
Select another team.
Select a player to pick up, and press X
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HOMERUN DERBY
--------------------
The Homerun Derby offers a one or two player Homerun competition in the
Major League Stadium of your choosing. Notice that you can change the pitch-
ing level. This is an ideal way not only to slug it our with a friend, but to take
batting practice. Even the great ones need batting practice.
D-Pad up/down to move the highlight bar.
D-Pad left/right to change the highlighted
setting.
When you're ready to move on, press
The Select Hitter screen works just like all the other lineup screens.
* When you've selected a hitter, press (r) to begin the Homerun Derby.
Batting in Homerun Derby works exactly as it does in a regular game.
OPTIONS
--------------------
The Options screen allows you to access the PlayStation memory card and other
important system options. Follow the on-screen instructions to make desired
changes, and then return to the Main Menu.
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GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS
--------------------
PITCHING BATTING/FIELDING
ERA: Earned Run Average Average: Batting Average
Win: Games Won HR: Home Runs
Loss: Games Lost RBI: Runs Batted In
Save: Games Saved G: Games Played
G: Games (Appearances) AB: Ar Bats
GS: Games Started R: Runs Scored
CG: Complete Games H: Hits
SHO: Shutouts 2B: Doubles
IP: Innings Pitched 3B: Triples
H: Hits Allowed HBP: Hit by Pitch
R: Runs Allowed BB: Bases on Balls
ER: Earned Runs Allowed IW: Intentional Walks
HB: Hit Batsmen K: Strike Outs
BB: Base on Balls allowed SB: Stolen Bases
IW: Intentional Walks E: Errors Committed
K: Strikeouts DP: Double Plays Performed
T: Throwing Arm B: Batting Side
