Tunneling is about two pitches. Sequencing is about the whole at-bat: what you throw first, what that sets up, and what you finish with. I learned most of what's in this guide by watching good players on Twitch and writing down every pitch they threw and the count they threw it in. After enough of that, the patterns are hard to miss.

Below are the rules I actually use, then six example sequences with diagrams. They're starting points, not scripts — the moment an opponent recognizes one, you should be doing something else.

Five sequencing rules

These are real baseball ideas. They carry over to The Show because the person holding the controller has the same problem a real hitter does: they're trying to guess what's coming and where.

  1. Change eye level. Up then down, or down then up. A hitter who just saw a fastball at the letters has a hard time laying off something that starts there and drops.
  2. Change sides of the plate. In then away. Pitching inside moves the hitter's attention there, and the outer edge gets a lot bigger.
  3. Change speeds. Fastball then changeup or curveball. Even a perfectly located pitch gets hit if it's the same speed as the last three.
  4. Let the count decide whether you need a strike. Ahead, you can expand off the plate. Behind, you need the zone — just not the middle of it.
  5. Don't repeat a pitch to the same spot three times in a row. Twice can be a setup. Three times is a pattern, and patterns get hit.

Ahead, even, behind: what each count is for

SituationCountsGoal
Ahead0-1, 0-2, 1-2Expand. Chase pitches off the edges, tunnels that finish out of the zone.
Even0-0, 1-1, 2-2Win the next pitch. Edges, mixed speeds, avoid the middle.
Behind1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1Throw a strike the hitter isn't sitting on. Usually not the straight fastball down the middle they expect.
Full3-2Your best-commanded pitch to an edge. Don't give in, don't nibble.

The single biggest swing in an at-bat is 1-1. A strike makes it 1-2 and you're in control; a ball makes it 2-1 and the hitter is. I treat 1-1 as the pitch I most want to plan ahead.

Six example sequences

How to read these Diagrams are from the catcher's view (the usual hitting camera), so a right-handed hitter stands on the left. Numbers are pitch order. The count shown is the count when the pitch is thrown. Outcomes are illustrative — real at-bats won't go to plan, and that's fine.

4-seamSinker / cutterSlider / sweeper / curveChangeup

1. RHP vs RHB: up and in, then away

The bread-and-butter same-handed plan for a pitcher with a good fastball and slider. Show the hitter something inside, then go away with the pitch that breaks away.

Catcher's view · RHP vs RHB RHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 0-0 4-seam up and in, top of the zone. Hitters often sit fastball first pitch; this one's hard to drive. Called strike or foul.
  2. 0-1 Slider low and away, starting on the outer edge. It looks like a strike and breaks off. Swing and miss.
  3. 0-2 4-seam above the zone. Change of eye level; if they chase it's over. Taken for a ball.
  4. 1-2 Slider below the zone and off the plate. After a high fastball, the start of this pitch looks hittable. Strikeout.

2. RHP vs LHB: fastball/changeup

Against opposite-handed hitters, a right-hander's changeup is the weapon: it runs arm-side, which is away from a lefty. The fastball sets up the speed.

Catcher's view · RHP vs LHB LHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 0-0 4-seam on the outer edge, middle height. A strike in a spot that's hard to pull. Called strike.
  2. 0-1 Changeup down and away, starting in the same lane as pitch 1. Taken just low for a ball.
  3. 1-1 4-seam up and in. The 1-1 pitch — change sides and eye level so they can't lean out over the plate. Fouled back.
  4. 1-2 Changeup below the zone, away. Same arm speed, 8–10 mph slower. Out in front, swing and miss.

3. Changing eye level: climb the ladder

A vertical plan for a 4-seam/curveball pitcher. Everything lives in one vertical lane; the only thing that changes is height and speed. Works against either hand.

Catcher's view · RHP vs RHB RHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 0-0 Curveball at the bottom of the zone. Steal a strike while they're sitting fastball. Called strike.
  2. 0-1 4-seam at the top of the zone. Fouled back.
  3. 0-2 4-seam above the zone — "climbing the ladder." Some hitters chase; this one takes. Ball.
  4. 1-2 Curveball below the zone. Two high fastballs in a row make this start look like a strike. Strikeout.

4. Sinker/sweeper: both sides of the plate

The biggest horizontal tunnel there is (see the tunneling guide). The sinker runs in on a same-handed hitter, the sweeper starts in the same spot and runs away.

Catcher's view · RHP vs RHB RHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 0-0 Sinker in at the knees. Good for weak contact on the ground if they swing. Called strike.
  2. 0-1 Sweeper finishing off the outer edge. It starts where the sinker started. Swing and miss.
  3. 0-2 Sinker in, off the plate at the hands. Moves their feet and their attention inside. Ball.
  4. 1-2 Sweeper wider, off the plate and down. They're protecting inside now. Chase, strikeout.

5. Behind in the count: getting out of 2-0

At 2-0 most hitters are sitting on a fastball in the middle. The answer isn't to groove one — it's to throw a strike that looks like that fastball and isn't.

Catcher's view · RHP vs LHB, from 2-0 LHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 2-0 Cutter in on the hands. Looks like the fastball they want, moves in late. Fouled off.
  2. 2-1 Changeup down and away, at the edge. They're still geared up for velocity. Swing over the top.
  3. 2-2 4-seam up at the letters. Change eye level after the low changeup. Fouled back.
  4. 2-2 Changeup below the zone, away. If they take it, it's 3-2 and you go back to your best-commanded pitch on an edge.

6. LHP vs RHB: the back-foot slider

For a left-hander, the slider breaks toward a right-handed hitter. Thrown down and in at the back foot, it's one of the hardest pitches in baseball to lay off. The sinker and changeup away set it up.

Catcher's view · LHP vs RHB RHB 1 2 3 4
  1. 0-0 Sinker away at the knees. Runs toward the outer edge. Called strike.
  2. 0-1 4-seam up and in. Change sides and height. Fouled off.
  3. 0-2 Changeup low and away, below the zone. Ball, but the hitter is now looking away.
  4. 1-2 Slider at the back foot, below the zone. Starts at the hitter's thigh, breaks in and down. Swing and miss.

Flipping them: mirror the diagram left to right for the opposite-handed pitcher, and mirror again for the opposite-handed hitter. A righty's slider breaks away from a right-handed hitter; a lefty's breaks in on one. Arm-side pitches (sinker, 2-seam, changeup) do the opposite.

Chase pitches: where and when

A chase pitch is one you don't want hit and don't need called a strike. You throw it when you're ahead, aiming just outside the zone in a place the hitter has a reason to swing.

Gameplay tip Online, the chase pitches that work finish just off the zone. A pitch that's obviously a ball out of the hand gets taken, and you've wasted a pitch and your pitcher's stamina. If an opponent never chases, stop wasting 0-2 pitches on them and attack an edge instead.

Sequencing mistakes I see online

If you want a tool for planning these, PitchTunnels has an Attack Plan screen that builds a three-pitch sequence from the first pitch you pick, using your pitcher's actual arsenal and the batter's handedness. Pro adds a Pitch Sequencer that walks a live at-bat pitch by pitch with the count. But the six sequences above work with nothing more than a plan in your head.

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