How to Win at Big Swing: Home Run Derby Tips

Big Swing is a home run derby with a catch: anything that is not a home run is an out, and ten outs end the round. To move up to the next, faster round you need enough home runs first. That makes patience and timing far more important than swinging at everything.

Big Swing
Play Big Swing ›

Read the pitch type

As the ball is thrown, the pitch type flashes on screen. Fastballs arrive quickly, curveballs bend as they come in, and change-ups look like fastballs but arrive later. Glance at the label every time and adjust your timing before the ball reaches the zone. Most mistimed swings on change-ups come from swinging too early.

Time and aim your swing

Tap the ball just as it crosses the strike zone. Tapping early pulls the ball to one side and tapping late pushes it to the other, so a well-timed swing goes straight out toward centre field. Where you tap on the ball decides how high it flies. Hit near the middle for a perfect launch with the best chance of clearing the fence.

On a keyboard you can move the bat with the arrow keys and press Space to swing, while a mouse lets you place the bat by moving it. Pick one method and stay with it, so your sense of timing does not change from round to round.

Be patient at the plate

A ball that passes outside the dashed strike zone does not count as an out if you leave it. A strike that you take without swinging does count, though. So the rule is simple: let bad pitches go by, but always swing at pitches inside the zone. Foul balls, grounders, pop-ups and fly outs all count as outs.

Build your combo

Every home run scores its distance in metres times your combo multiplier, and hitting several home runs in a row raises that multiplier. A streak of solid home runs is worth far more than one huge hit followed by outs. Clearing a round also adds a bonus, so reaching the target is always the first priority.

Go for distance when it is safe

A perfectly timed, centred swing on a fastball can fly more than 150 metres. Fastballs are the best chance for big distance, so focus hardest on those. When you have already hit the round target, you can take more risks for long home runs, because a few extra outs no longer stop you advancing.

Questions

Is a ball outside the zone an out?

No. If you let a pitch outside the dashed zone go by, it is not an out. A strike you take is.

Why do I keep swinging early on change-ups?

Change-ups look like fastballs but arrive later. Read the pitch label and wait a beat longer.

Why do I keep hitting foul balls?

Your timing is too early or too late, which pulls or pushes the ball out of play. Wait for the zone.

Big Swing
Play Big Swing ›