Fundamentals: A game of tactics or a game of skill?

 

Clear visual signals are fundamental to the game - the signal fan is the most recognisable example of this

In this series of posts I will look at a number of differences between pesäpallo and other bat and ball sports (like baseball and cricket). In this first post I take a look at the emphasis on tactics in pesäpallo compared to cricket and baseball. 

Games of skill

Both cricket and baseball focus on skills, but to be a champion, you must also master tactics. The skill set of pitchers in baseball is a specialist area and requires pitchers to be protected and rested to avoid severe injury; batters require split second timing and reactions to beat the pitch. Anyone with such skills can succeed, but to be truly great a player will need to play tactically.

Likewise, in cricket, the skills of a pace bowler or spin bowler is coveted and the ability of a good batter to spot bad deliveries (pitches), select the right batting shot and then execute it  are the hallmarks of a great player. By mastering tactics in cricket, great players can become legends.

When I look at pesäpallo, the focus actually seems the other way round - get the tactics wrong and it will not matter how skilled a player you are, winning becomes impossible. In fact, the emphasis on tactics in pesis is actually more similar to the emphasis in American football than baseball or cricket. By understanding this core concept of pesäpallo, you start to see the game through a different lens and things start to make a lot more sense.

What to look out for if you are a baseball fan 

There are probably hundreds of things that stand out as tactically significant points in pesäpallo, but the following are just a few things that baseball fans should look out for which look and seem very different, but in fact are similar to practices in baseball... well tactically speaking anyway.

The signal fan

The multi coloured fan held by the game manager in the batters circle is so iconic that it is represented in the Superpesis logo. This is a key part of pesäpallo and helps to deliver a signal to all the runners on base - think of it as a replacement for managers tugging at their caps, belt buckles or dusting their hands. It is also of note that, unlike in MLB, their are no 1st or 3rd base coaches to help give instructions to runners; instead the signal fan and other signals come directly from the game manager, assistant game manager and other team mates in the batters circle, so it has to be clear and easy to read to make sure the runners know what the signal is, but complicated or mysterious enough to keep the fielding team guessing.

Intentional dropped catches

This can be one of the most baffling things to see if you are a lifelong baseball fan - why would you drop a catch on purpose? Well the result of a catch in pesäpallo is very different to baseball and does not lead to an out, but rather removes any players caught between bases when the ball is caught. This adds a great deal of flexibility in terms of tactics - if their are fast runners on base, you can catch the ball and remove them from play; if the hitter is a slow runner and will hinder the batting team’s chances at advancing runners safely, drop the ball and let them take the base. In baseball, you might intentionally walk a pinch hitter if you know they can’t round the bases fast enough - it is sort of that kind of tactic. When you start to understand why having runners on base can be a blessing or a curse, you start to realise how pesäpallo truly is a game of tactics. 

The joker

When you first start watching pesäpallo, you can’t help but notice that there are a few players who wear a different jersey to the others - they are the jokers (in fact all joker’s tops are standard across the league). A joker is like a designated hitter in baseball, except the batting team has 3 they can use each inning and they can be used at any time without replacing any other player in the lineup. Did you ever watch a baseball game and think “oh no, the bases are loaded and we’re at the number 9 spot” it’s times like that you wish you could just bring someone else to the plate without taking a player (often a pitcher or key defensive player) out of the game. The use of jokers is not just for securing hard hits and RBIs, sometimes a team will need to put a fast runner on base, jokers can also fill that specialist role too.

Some of these topics I will cover in more depth in future posts in this series.