GaMECHaNGER

Before You Begin

Pro tip: use "Practice Mode" (available from the mobile application's home screen) to practice scoring.

Here are some action types that we strongly recommend practicing beforehand:

• Re-ordering your team's lineup
• Choosing a DH for the starting pitcher
• Swapping home and away before first pitch via Game Override
• Dropped third strikes where the batter is either safe or out at first
• Bringing a runner home from second on a single
• Multiple runners advancing on a passed ball or wild pitch
• Scoring a play that involves both fielding error and advancing baserunners
• Undo-ing several pitches and plays
• Adding opposing team players from the field (when you're AWAY) or with each at-bat (when you're HOME)
• Jumping to a future inning via Game Override
• Tracking defensive assists (when Advanced Fielding activated within Settings)
• Using a courtesy and/or pinch runner
• Swapping multiple defender positions in between innings, including the pitcher

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Getting Started

• On the home page menu, Tap "Log in and Start Scoring" to begin scorekeeping.
• If you are a new user and have not yet created a game changer profile online (email and password), then tap "New User? Join Now."
• If you have already signed up online, log in with your email and password.
• You will be asked to select or create your team. This action is only for creating your team. Opposing teams are created when creating a new game.
• After creating a team, tap "Full Schedule" to see all games and to add a game (the "+" in the upper right hand corner of the Schedule view.)
• You will create your opposing team in the "New Game" screen. You do not create opposing teams in the "New Team" screen.
• Once you have created a game, tap that game in the schedule to start scoring.
• Once in the scoring (field view) screen, swap home and away teams by tapping the menu button in the top right of the scoring screen. More on the menu button below.
• Back on the home page menu, Tap "Resume Scoring" to continue scoring a game in progress. The app will auto-save after every pitch so you can always pause a game (menu button on the scorekeeping screen), then go back and continue scoring. If the "Resume Scoring" text is grey then you have no games in progress.
• Tap "Practice Mode" if you are just testing out the app to see how it works. We've pre-loaded two teams into that game but you can add new players and make substitutions to test those features of the app. Go into either the lineup tab (bottom of the screen) and hit "Clear Lineup" to test adding players to your lineup and reordering the roster. More on substitutions below.
• Tap "Quick Hints" to read a shortened version of this user guide on the phone. And tap "New in X.X" to see new features in the latest version.

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At-Bats

• Tap the pitcher's mound to begin.
  • If you don't have any players in your lineup (or the opposing lineup if you are in the field) the app will prompt you to "Add New Player" or "Add Placeholder." You must have a real player name or uniform number or placeholder name in the lineup to continue with the at bat. But you do not have to have players in defensive positions to continue with the game.
  • You can also continue without defensive positions assigned to your team. But we recommend adding a pitcher before the first pitch so that pitch counts can be recorded.
• The white main at-bat menu that pops up in the middle of the screen will then walk you through each at bat.
• Tap the screen outside the main menu to remove the menu. Tap the pitcher's mound to bring back the main at-bat menu.
• Tap "back" in the upper left hand corner of the main at-bat menu to go one level back within the at-bat menu.
• Note that you can scroll down in the main at-bat menu to see more options.
• In all GameChanger menus, options have been limited to situations that can possibly occur in each particular game situation (For example, Sac Bunt is not an option unless there is a runner on base).
• Go to the "Settings" tab and turn on "Track Pitch Types" if you want to record Fastball, Curve, Changeup or Slider.
• Tap "Ball in Play" from the main at-bat menu to proceed with hit, error or out.

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Ball-in-Play / Fielding

• Once a ball is in play, select the type of hit (ground ball, hard ground ball, fly ball or line drive).
• Then select the result of the play (Out, single, double, etc.). Note that you can scroll down in the main at-bat menu for more options.
• Once a result is selected, each defensive player will turn into a brown circle indicating that the fielder can be moved. Touch and drag the appropriate fielder to the area on the field where the ball was fielded. Then remove your finger from the fielder.
• When the ball is in play and the fielders turn to brown dots, tap the red "X" on the left side of the screen to cancel and go back to the main at-bat menu.
• If you make a mistake on any play, tap the button on the left side of the screen with the arrow looping back to the left to undo. Tap the arrow looping to the right to redo any play that has been undone.
• If there is a fielder's choice or double play and it isn't immediately clear which runners are out, the runners will have an "x" (out) and "check" (safe) on their corners. Tap either the "x" or the "check."
• Each new user will be prompted to use "Advanced Fielding" upon the first ball in play. Advanced Fielding will record assists and putouts for each play but may require additional screen taps on each play.

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Manually Advancing Baserunners / Pickoffs

• Baserunners only advance the number of bases of a hit. For example, a runner on first will advance to second on a single and third on a double.
• To manually advance a baserunner, touch and drag him/her to the green (safe) or red (out) areas surrounding the next base. You won't see these red and green areas until you drag the baserunner into that area.
• For pickoffs, touch and drag the runner off the base he/she is on and into the green (attempted but safe) or red (out) around the same base.
• Every manual advance or pickoff generates a choice of results that are designed to only offer the possible options in that situation. For instance if a double is hit and then you advance the runner immediately to safe at third, "Passed Ball" is not an option for the reason why that runner advanced. However, if you throw a pitch after the double (say, ball one), and then move the runner to third, then "Passed Ball" becomes an option for why that runner advanced.
• All runners that score need to be confirmed as runs. As explained in the fielder's choice bullet point above, all runners crossing home plate will require that you click the "x"" (out) or "check" (safe).

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Roster Edits and Substitutions

• Tap "My Lineup" and "Opposing Lineup" tabs to view the current lineup and full roster. Toggle between these views with the green Lineup / Roster buttons towards the top of the screen.
• Above those buttons is a list of defensive positions. All checked positions are filled. Positions marked with an X are empty.
• In the roster view, batting helmet icons designate players in the starting lineup. Bench icons designate players currently on the bench.
• In the lineup view, adjust the batting order by touching the three horizontal lines to the right of each player's name and dragging that player to a new place in the lineup.
• Scroll to the bottom of either view to add new players.
• Click on a player in either the roster or lineup view to bring up the player detail page. You can set positions, sub out, deactivate, activate and set a DH from this page.
• Players labeled with the position "EH" are extra hitters. You may add an unlimited number of players to a lineup as extra hitters.

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Other Helpful Scorekeeping Tips

• Tap the menu button in the top right corner of each game scoring view to:
• "Override" the score, inning or number of outs
• "Swap sides" (switch home and away) before the first pitch of a game
• "Pause Game" and go back to the main home screen
• "Reset Game" and go back to the beginning (careful, you will lose all game data)
• "End Game" which finalizes the score and totals all game stats with season stats. You may always edit these stats and the score online.
• From the scoring (field) view:
• Tap a defensive player or position on the field for quick defensive substitutions.
• Tap the rectangle area where the batter's name is listed to "Jump to Different Batter" in the lineup, "Sub Batter out for" another player, or "Edit Batter" name or uniform number.
• Tap the rectangle area where the pitcher's name is listed to "View Pitch Counts," "Sub Pitcher Out For" another player, or "Edit Pitcher" name or uniform number.
• Tap the "?" for helpful hints.
• Tap "!" to send feedback (thanks!)
• From the GameStream view:
• Scroll through detailed play-by-play for your game.
• Tap any play for additional detail and to mark the play (to review later)
• Tap the small square with line through it to write a note to fans watching online (for example: "Rain Delay")
• From the Settings View:
• Set the number of innings. (Note this will only bring up an alert at the end of the set number of innings. You will need to end the game manually from the menu button on the top right of every scoring view).
• Turn on Advanced Fielding to track assists and putouts.
• Turn on Track Pitch Types (as referenced above)
• Turn "Scoring Hints" on
• Turn "Lineup Hints" on
• Turn "Animated Pitches" on that shows a ball moving across the scoreboard for each pitch

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