Definition of 1st Plate Appearance

What does the term "1st Plate Appearance" mean in the world of baseball betting? What is meant by the term "1st plate appearance"?

With the "1st plate appearance" line, you are betting on how many pitches a batter will face in their first plate appearance of the game.

For instance - let's say that Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dogers are playing against the Atlanta Braves.

Ohtani's "1st plate appearance" line might look like this:

Over 3.5 Pitches, -144
Under 3.5 Pitches, +118

According to this line, the Ohtani is a small favourite to face more than 3.5 pitches in his first plate appearance of the game.

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A number of different factors will go into properly valuing the 1st plate appearance line, including:

1. How aggressive is the batter early in counts?

2. How aggressive is the pitcher?

3. How good is the pitcher?

4. How good is the batter?

Good hitters are usually patient hitters, meaning that they will be more likely to face a higher pitch count during their plate appearances.

Also, pitchers will respect good hitters more, giving them less to hit and likely throwing more balls.