There’s no denying that Major League Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States. And with the 2019 season beginning, fans are already craving the competitive spirit of the game.
What is Tossball, you ask? It’s essentially softball—the game you probably grew up playing in elementary school—but with two important differences: First, the ball can be hit with any pitch; second, each team gets only one strike before the opposing team is allowed to bat.
Now, while these rules might make for some interesting gameplay, they can be problematic when it comes to betting on the game. For instance, how do you make a wager on whether a ground ball will be fielded by the shortstop or the second baseman in the Bronx?
Luckily, sportsbooks have you covered on this front, because they’ve implemented a left field betting option that removes the ground ball dilemma. Let’s take a quick look at how this innovative wagering option works before heading into the nitty gritty of what makes it so special.
How Do Sportsbooks Handle The Ground-Ball Dilemma In Left Field?
Most sportsbooks will give you the choice of taking either side of the betting action in left field. So, if you wager on the Red Sox to score, the money will stay in your pocket as long as your team wins the toss and elects to receive the ball. However, if you bet on the Yankees to score, the betting will be settled in favor of the sportsbook as soon as your team receives the ball in left field. This scenario makes a lot of sense, because if the Red Sox elect to defend their home territory, they’ll have the advantage of the cozy familiarity of the seats in the stands. But if the Yankees receive the ball and decide to sprint out to make some magic happen, well, you won’t be holding the winning ticket.
As long as you abide by the basic rules of left field wagering—that is, you pick a team to score and the other team to concede—you’ll be able to enjoy the sweet taste of victory while also covering your bets in the process.
Why Do Left Fielders Love Tossball?
You might be wondering why anyone would bother to wager on something as unoriginal as Tossball. Well, the short answer is nostalgia, pure and simple. The game itself is a throwback to the 1950s, when Americans were generally more interested in baseball than they were in football. And even those who were more interested in football may have found that after a few years of missing out on the action, they were craving a return engagement.
This nostalgia is also why left field wagering in Tossball is favored by a wide array of professional and amateur players. Anecdotally, many major league baseball players have admitted to loving the game because it’s simple and fast-paced. And with the ability to make quick, spontaneous decisions, you may also discover that it’s more mental than physical, which is appealing to certain individuals whose jobs rely heavily on their mental faculties. This is not to say that Tossball is easy—quite the opposite, in fact—but that it requires specialized training and lots of practice to truly excel at the game. Which I suppose is why it’s always been such a popular choice for military training as well.
Do I Have A Chance Of Winning Money On Tossball?
The good news is that just about everyone has a chance of winning on Tossball. The question is: Will you?
The odds of winning will vary from sport to sport, but in general, you’re likely to beat the odds if you bet on the underdog. And in Tossball, the underdog is usually the team on the grass. So, if you’re sitting there at home, grinding your teeth and grumbling about how tired you are of losing, you might consider wagering on the grass makers, since they are the ones most likely to surprise you with a home run. Or, for the more daring among you, you could try your luck with the betting on the fences, where the outfielders will be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. And even the best-laid betting strategy can go awry if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, because then, everything becomes unpredictable. Of course, some of the best-laid plans can also turn out for the best, so it’s best to keep your eyes open for any unforeseeable events as they unfold throughout the game.
Bottom line: With all the different options available to left fielders, even the most sophisticated bettors should have no trouble finding a wager that suits their fancy. And as long as you keep within the boundaries of fair play and sportsmanship, you likely won’t suffer any ill effects from your wagering.
So, next time you’re grumbling about how stale the Major League Baseball is becoming, consider taking a more active role in the events unfold around you. You might just end up enjoying the game more, and that’s what counts in the end.