It’s hard to think of an athletic position with more pressure than baseball’s pitcher. Even in gaming, one mistake is all it takes to end a ball game inMLB The Show 21. The demands for perfection are intense and there is a genuine reason to fear when somebody like Fernando Tatis Jr. or Shohei Ohtani gets up to the plate. It’s moments like this where a gamer’s good luck just isn’t good enough.
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That’s why players who play as pitchers inMLB The Show 21will need as much assistance as possible. Yes, it can be immensely stressful. But no other position determines the outcome of a game, a series, or a world championship like the starting pitcher does. And anybody who has thrown a perfect game knows it: It’s well worth all the preparation to become a legend.
Updated on October 22nd, 2021 by Hodey Johns:Thanks to the introduction of hitting and pitching with the same player this year, pitching has never been more popular and this guide is being put to good use. After a few months of playing around and trying out more equipment and windups, this guide has been updated with some particulars in each section. For example, the exact best kinds of equipment can be found here, as can the ideal pitching stretch and delivery. There is also greater detail added under the selections dealing with specific kinds of pitches and when to use them.
10Practice With Pure Analog
It’s easy to forget all of the preparation that goes into taking the mound against one ofthe game’s best teams. One of those pieces of preparation happens the very first timeMLB The Show 21gets booted up.
The new interface,Pure Analog, can be a little tricky to learn, but the tradeoff ismore control over the ball’s final location. It’s worth the practice. If it’s not working out, feel free to go back to a more comfortable pitching interface; it isn’t worth frequent wild pitches but it is a nice upgrade for those who master it.
9Don’t Forget About Programs
With great apology to anybody who loved the older versions of this game, the program has replaced the skill tree.Beginners who are learning about the gamewill want to be sure to play around with this.
Each pitcher has a program that matches their styleand all of them are great choices, but it’s not a set it and forget it kind of setting. These will naturally be upgraded with extra power and extra mini-slots. These can rank all the way up to diamond and it will make a huge difference in the outcome of the game.
8Finding The Right Equipment
If pitchers have it easy in any department, it’s that they don’t require everything the position players do in terms of equipment.Learning how to equip itemsfrom packs and the market will be the single biggest upgrade for any Road to the Show character.
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It’s definitely worthsaving up for the diamond equipment. Look carefully at each item as some of them benefit hitters more than pitchers. Some slots don’t help pitchers at all or only benefit the defensive side of the ball, so prioritize the actual pitching aspect of the game first as it will make the biggest difference.
Different kinds of pitchers will have different needs for equipment, so it’s best touse an equipment guide.Starters will want to use the 3000v5 cleatswhilerelievers should grab some Adizero Afterburner 7.0 cleats.Control pitchers should use the Pro Limited glovewhilestrikeout-focused pitchers should use the Flawless glove.All pitchers should save up for the Axle Grease ritual.
7The Tyler Rogers Secret
Pitchers can’t craft a throwing motion the wayhitters can alter their stance, but they do have a healthy lineup of stretches to choose from. Not all pitching stances are created equal. In fact, the community notoriously hates sidearm throwers because they’re hard to read. Even worse than this are the submarine pitchers.
To become every hitter’s worst nightmare,use the Tyler Rogers windup from the current players selection. Opponents will have no idea what pitch is coming and where the break is going until it’s too late. On fastballs, the ball never breaks at all, which adds a dimension to pitching how the ball rises that other windups don’t have.
6Use The Entire Arsenal Of Pitches
It doesn’t matter how many pitches the player has, but whatever is selected must be used. Sometimes gamers mistakenly attempt to hold back a secret pitch and then really fool the hitter. That might work in real life, but inMLB The Show 21, pitches that aren’t being used regularly aren’t thrown with “confidence.”
This metric falling two low makes the pitch in question thrown with stats beneath the ones that the player has.Keep each pitch fresh and in rotation. Then it’s only a matter of time until this ace will becarrying teams through the World Series.
5Have A Slider
Despite the love for the heater and the curve,it’s the slider that is the best pitch in the game. Yes, even the slider needs to be mixed in with other pitches to keep players guessing, but when it’s time to get a strikeout or weak contact, there is no better option.
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Why is this? It’s somewhat simple. Batters can miss the ball vertically and horizontally. A slider moves both horizontally and vertically, maximizing the ways that hitters can muff their swing. There are some other pitches with the same motion, but this isn’t the end of the slider’s tricks. Speed-wise, it’s right in between a fastball and breaking ball, so online players always seem to swing too quickly or late. By messing with the location and the timing, this pitch mows down even a veteran opponent’s best batsman.
4The Statistical Hierarchy Of Attributes
While leveling up, players will be asked to choose various statistical increases. Flamethrowers will want more velocity on their pitches while filthy pitchers will want more break on their balls, but there is no reason not toinvest heavily in both velocity and break.
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Butsome stats aren’t quite as valuable as others. All of the defensive categories are only useful in a handful of situations during an entire season. And don’t worry, the arm strength and accuracy apply only to fielding, potchers without these will be just as strong and accurate on throws to the plate.
HR/9 reduces the number of home runs allowed but only in simulated games. Anybody controlling every game in Road to the Show will get nothing out of it. Those who only want to play the important games, though, will definitely want to keep this number high.
3Pepper The Corners
Sometimes a batter will have a blue area down the middle or on the side of the plate.Don’t give the sides as much credence as the corners. Balls hit in these corner locations don’t fly as far. Even hitters with red corners can be manipulated.
A heavy hitter with a red zone up and in will try to swing at anything close to up and in. Throw balls just outside of this area or right on the edge of it and the contact will be weak if it lands at all. Pitches that land in the corners rarely find themselves flying over walls.
2Avoiding The Middle Of The Zone
Players can miss the strike zone safely thirteen consecutive times before any damage is done on the scoreboard. All it takes is one miss over the plate to allow a run. Statistically, it’s just plain smarter to play along the outside of the zone. Even when behind in the count,throwing a ball down the middle is never acceptable.
Even without much control and beforeimproving the player, targeting the outside edge of the zone will land as a strike half of the time and a ball half of the time. This doesn’t factor in balls that the hitters swing at and miss. Target the perimeter on every pitch.
1Switch Pitch Locations
Stubborn pitchers make the mental error of trying to land a pitch in an exact spot. Hitters will see this and be ready for the next pitch in the same area.Never throw two pitches consecutively in the same spot. Target the corners, but be unpredictable as to which corner will be targeted next.
A great tactic is to throw low and in, low and away, then up and in for the strikeout. But if one of these pitches is a ball, don’t get locked into a formula. If the hitter has no idea where the next pitch will be, there are going to be some beautiful swings and misses in the immediate future.
MLB The Show 21was released on June 27, 2025, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
