SherCo GRAND SLAM Baseball
HOW TO PLAY
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Wanna learn how to play our game? We've got you covered! Choose from the following resources to get you started!
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SHERCO CLASSIC
YouTube Video Demonstration of Play (clicking link will open video automatically)
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SHERCO PLUS
SherCo PLUS Walkthrough
YouTube Video Demonstration of the SherCo PLUS Pitching System and Ratings (clicking link will open video automatically)
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In the meantime, while you're working through these helpful documents and videos, some words of advice from Brien Martin, publisher of SherCo, and an owner and fan of the game since 1980 ...
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Expect the first few games to take a lot longer than they will later on as you learn the game. The stop-action system takes a bit of getting used to, and you will find yourself checking the rules to make sure you did everything correctly. Here's the best way to describe the stop-action system that helps you make sense of it:
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Although the rules call them "throws", don't think of each fielding roll as an actual throw. Think of the fielding rolls as the means to break up the component parts of the play into "one-base increments". The first "throw" is everything that happens as the batter, and any runners on base, advance to the next base. If the ball doesn't get to a base by the end of the first "throw", a second "throw" is necessary as the batter and any runners try to advance to another base. In some cases, the ball will be close enough to that next base (either on the runner is going to, or the one the batter is going to) that you won't try and take the extra base.
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If you end up completing three "throws", the likely result of the play is a triple, or a batter thrown out trying for a triple, or a runner out at home trying to score from first. If you ever need four "throws" to complete a play, then you're looking at what is sometimes called "the most exciting play in baseball" ... an inside-the-park home run. So, if you think of each "throw" as resolving the advancement of the runners while the ball is traveling back towards the infield, it can help save some confusion of how we use the term "throw" to explain the rules.
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Start learning what I call "SherCo Shortcuts" to save time. Though the game sells itself on the stop-action nature of the game, plotting every ball hit will, after awhile, seem tedious. That's because there are some times when plotting the ball and moving fielders isn't necessary. Take, for example, a ball hit to a particular square that is within the outfielder's range factor. If you can plainly see that the ball is within that range, you don't need to even put the ball on the field; just record the play and go to the next batter. Yes, the rules say to place the ball ... then move the fielder to the ball and if he reaches the ball before running out of range, he catches it. He still catches it, even if you don't "mark and move".
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Use some standard positioning for fielders when playing solitaire, and shift fielders only when, after looking at the charts, it is advantageous to do so. Check out the Optional Rules section on our Files page for my long-standing rules for solitaire play, including pitcher removal.
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SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE: When fielding, you can move fielders to other squares on the board (to cover bases, to go out to the cut-off square, etc.) ... that movement is ABSOLUTELY FREE ... none of it counts against the "throw". Many people subtract the movement of the second baseman, for example, when he covers second on a double play ball ... nope ... he gets there FREELY.
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Please be sure and ask us questions anytime you have them we can be reached via e-mail by clicking this link and shooting us a question.
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ENJOY THE GAME!
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