About Ninth Inning Drill
Ninth Inning Drill is a free baseball strategy game built by a fan who wanted to argue about late-inning decisions with data. Every game has a moment when the manager has to choose: bunt or swing, leave the starter in or go to the bullpen, walk the dangerous hitter or pitch to him. This game lets you make those calls, then tells you honestly how they worked out.
What makes it different
- Every decision is scored against thousands of simulated outcomes, not opinion.
- It includes famous real decisions, such as the ones in the 2003, 2004, 2016, 2019 and 2025 postseasons, with what actually happened.
- The pitch-by-pitch model is calibrated on real postseason data.
- It runs in your browser, needs no account, and works offline once loaded.
Data and credits
Pitch and plate-appearance rates, and the rosters and ratings for eight clubs, come from 2025 postseason play-by-play data provided by Retrosheet. The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at www.retrosheet.org. Thank you to the volunteers who make that data available.
Limits and honesty
Ratings are estimates, rosters change, and a simulation is not the real game. The "best call" is the best call under this model, not a verdict on any real manager. If something is wrong, please say so and it will be fixed.
Not affiliated
Ninth Inning Drill is an independent fan project. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Major League Baseball, any club, or any player. Team names, abbreviations and player names are used only to identify them. All trademarks belong to their owners.