PitchTunnels

What You Get

Everything you need to sequence pitches like an MLB ace — built specifically for MLB The Show.

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Ranked Tunnel Recommendations

Get 5+ pitch tunnel combinations ranked by effectiveness. Each recommendation explains why the pitches fool batters and when to use them.

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Real MLB Statcast Data

Every recommendation is grounded in 2024 MLB Statcast averages — actual velocity, horizontal break, and vertical break for all 18 pitch types. Not guesswork.

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Count-Aware Strategy

The app knows you pitch differently when ahead, even, or behind. Get chase pitch recommendations when ahead and strike-zone tunnels when behind.

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Shuffle for Variety

Never throw the same sequence twice. Shuffle through different tunnel combinations to stay unpredictable across multiple at-bats and games.

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Favorites Per Pitcher

Mark your best tunnels as favorites and pull them up instantly mid-game. Favorites are saved per pitcher so your arsenal stays organized.

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Attack Plan — At-Bat Sequencing

Pick your first pitch and the app builds a full 3-pitch sequence around it. The strike zone auto-loops through each pitch with a live animated ball path — or freeze it to study all three at once. Gold stars highlight the best opening pitches. Adjust loop speed from Slow to Fast.

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100% Offline

No account, no internet required. Everything runs locally on your device — add pitchers, generate tunnels, use the app anywhere.

How It Works

Two powerful modes — pick the one that fits your situation.

Build Your Pitcher

Add any pitcher from your MLB The Show roster. Enter their name, handedness, and select pitches from their arsenal. Optionally set custom MPH for each pitch to match their exact in-game ratings. That's it — your pitcher is ready.

Set the Matchup

Choose your pitcher, set the count situation (ahead / even / behind), and select the batter's handedness. The count matters — PitchTunnels filters recommendations based on whether you should be expanding the zone or throwing strikes.

Get Ranked Tunnel Recommendations

See 5+ pitch tunnel pairs ranked by effectiveness with quality scores (1–100), velocity differentials, and the science behind why each combination works. Tap any tunnel to see the visual strike zone diagram showing both pitch paths.

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Or: Build an Attack Plan

Switch to Attack Plan mode to design a full 3-pitch at-bat sequence. Gold stars on the pitch chips highlight your best opening options. Pick your first pitch — the app builds the optimal follow-up pitches using tunneling science. The animated strike zone automatically loops through all three pitches, drawing each ball path in real time. Freeze it to Static View to study all paths at once, or dial in the playback speed — Slow, Normal, or Fast. The perfect tool for pre-loading a game plan before a big at-bat.

The Science Behind It

Pitch tunneling is real physics used by elite MLB pitchers. PitchTunnels applies that science to MLB The Show.

Key Numbers

Tunnel Point 23.8 ft from plate

Decision Window ~175 ms before contact

Pitch Types Modeled 18 all MLB The Show pitches

Data Source MLB Statcast 2024 season

At 23.8 feet from the plate, a hitter has roughly 175 milliseconds to make a swing decision. If two pitches look identical at that point, the batter can't distinguish them — no matter how experienced they are. This is the tunnel point, and it's the foundation of PitchTunnels's entire recommendation engine.

How Tunnel Scores Work

Each tunnel pair gets two scores (1–10) multiplied together:

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Tunnel Quality

How similar the pitches look before the decision point — based on arm action group compatibility. Same arm slot = better tunnel.

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Separation Quality

How far apart the pitches end up at the plate in inches (Euclidean distance from Statcast HB + IVB data), plus a velocity timing bonus.

Total Score = Tunnel Quality × Separation Quality
90+ = Elite · 70+ = High · 40–69 = Viable

Featured Tunnel Data

Real 2024 MLB Statcast plate separation data — these numbers explain why some tunnels dominate while others disappoint.

Pitch Pair	Plate Separation	Velo Gap	Why It Works	Score
Sinker + Sweeper	~33"	10+ mph	Opposite arm-side break — 33" horizontal gap at the plate. Both pitches look identical out of the hand.	90
4-Seam + Sweeper	~28.6"	11+ mph	Opposite horizontal break plus velocity. The biggest physical contrast a fastball can offer.	90
2-Seam + Sweeper	~31.6"	10 mph	2-seam runs arm-side (+14.5"), sweeper breaks glove-side (−17"). Near-maximum horizontal separation.	90
4-Seam + Forkball	~26"	11.2 mph	Forkball dives late with both velocity and movement deception. Underrated elite tunnel.	90
4-Seam + Curveball	~22"	14 mph	Maximum vertical exposure — fastball rises (+16.5"), curve drops (−9.5"). 26" vertical gap.	81
Sinker + Changeup	~5.2"	7.2 mph	Both run arm-side — this is a velocity tunnel, not movement. Works through timing only.	45
Cutter + Slider	~8.5"	2 mph	Very similar arm action, small velocity gap. Often overrated — batters can track both pitches.	24
Sinker + Circle Change	~2.1"	9 mph	Both move almost identically arm-side. Nearly zero plate separation — velocity is the only deception.	27

* Plate separation is the Euclidean distance in inches using real 2024 MLB Statcast horizontal break (HB) and induced vertical break (IVB) averages. RHP perspective shown.

Key Insights

What the Statcast data reveals — some of it will surprise you.

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Opposite Break = Maximum Deception

Sinker + sweeper creates 33" of horizontal separation at the plate — the largest gap of any common pair. Both pitches leave the hand identically. Hitters cannot distinguish them before the tunnel point.

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Velocity Gap = Timing Deception

A 10+ mph gap between pitches with identical arm action (like 4-seam + changeup) forces batters to commit before knowing pitch speed. This is velocity tunneling, and it's devastatingly effective.

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Changeup Actually Rises (Relative)

Real Statcast data shows changeups have +7" induced vertical break — they don't "drop." Their perceived drop is relative to the 4-seam's +16.5" rise. The timing mismatch is the deception, not gravity.

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Same-Direction Pairs Disappoint

Sinker + circle changeup both move arm-side and end up only 2.1" apart at the plate. This pair is almost entirely a velocity tunnel. Cutter + slider has 8.5" separation and a 2 mph gap — barely a tunnel.

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Sweeper Is the Secret Weapon

The sweeper's extreme glove-side break (−17") pairs with any arm-side pitch for maximum horizontal separation. This explains why elite MLB pitchers with sweepers post historically dominant strikeout rates.

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Sinker-First Strategy

Research shows sinkers are premier setup pitches in MLB The Show. When your pitcher has a sinker, PitchTunnels automatically prioritizes sinker tunnels — mirroring real MLB strategy from pitchers like Corbin Burnes.

Research-Backed, Not Guesswork

PitchTunnels's recommendations draw from three sources — all of them real.

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Primary Source

MLB Statcast (Baseball Savant)

2024 season averages across all MLB pitchers. Actual velocity, horizontal break (inches), and induced vertical break (inches) for every pitch type — the same data analysts use.

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Validation

MLB The Show 25 Live Testing

Tunnel recommendations are validated through real game sessions across all handedness matchups. Pitch behavior and location effectiveness tested to ensure real-world accuracy in the game.

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Foundation

Pitch Tunneling Science

Based on published pitch tunneling research including tunnel point theory — 23.8 feet from the plate, the last moment a hitter can change their swing decision (~175ms before contact).

Frequently Asked Questions

Pitch tunneling is when two pitches follow the same path out of the pitcher's hand before diverging late — after the batter's decision point. The batter commits to a swing (or no-swing) based on what they see at the tunnel point. If both pitches look identical there but arrive in completely different locations, the batter is stuck guessing.
Yes. You add any pitcher and select pitches from their arsenal. You can add custom MPH for each pitch to match their in-game ratings. PitchTunnels generates recommendations based on the specific pitches in that pitcher's arsenal — so a pitcher with only 3 pitches gets different (and more focused) recommendations than one with 6.
Real Statcast data reveals surprises. Sinker + circle changeup — widely considered a great pair — ends up only 2.1" apart at the plate because both break heavily arm-side. Cutter + slider has 8.5" separation and a 2 mph gap, making it barely a tunnel at all. The scores reflect physics, not conventional wisdom.
No account, no internet required. PitchTunnels includes a 7-day free trial, then $19.99/year. Everything runs 100% offline on your iPhone or iPad — your pitcher data stays on your device, never transmitted anywhere.
Each tunnel is rated High (⭐⭐⭐), Medium (⭐⭐), or Low (⭐) based on its quality score. The score (1–100) multiplies Tunnel Quality (arm action similarity) × Separation Quality (plate separation in inches + velocity bonus). A score of 90 is elite. 70+ is high. 40–69 is viable. Low-rated tunnels still work — save them for when opponents have adjusted to your main sequences.
Attack Plan is a 3-pitch at-bat sequencer. Instead of picking a tunnel pair, you choose the first pitch you want to throw. The app builds the optimal 2nd and 3rd pitch around it — each chosen to tunnel off the pitch before it. Gold stars on the pitch chips highlight the best opening pitches from your arsenal.

The strike zone auto-loops through all three pitches with animated ball paths, so you can study the full sequence before you play. Tap Auto-Playing to pause and see all paths at once in Static View. Use the Slow / Normal / Fast speed picker to control playback pace. It's the same tunneling science as the Tunnels tab, packaged as a game plan you can load before the at-bat.
Yes. When the zone is in Auto-Playing mode, a Slow / Normal / Fast speed picker appears next to the loop button. Slow gives you long pauses to study each pitch. Normal is the default. Fast cycles quickly for a rapid recap when you already know the sequence.

You can also tap Auto-Playing to freeze the zone in Static View — all three pitch paths appear at once so you can study the complete plan without any timing pressure. Tap Static View to resume the loop. Turn off all ball-travel animation entirely in Help & Settings → Attack Plan → Pitch Path Animations.
PitchTunnels is planned to launch on the App Store in March 2026. Follow RetroGhostLabs for updates or email support@retroghostlabs.com to be notified at launch.

Master Pitch Tunneling — Stop Being Predictable