From the initial release, The Ump Show had 10 types of pitches supported and the speed and the movement of the pitches was derived from raw MLB data. Despite this, many people commented that they would like to see different types of pitches in the game! Since the players are always right, I first checked that my existing pitch data was correct. After that, I added more visualizations to help players identify the different pitches.

Validating Pitches

Using the same code that is used in game, I created a new simulation to compare different pitches. Here are two examples.

Fastball vs Curveball

Both the pitches start in the same location with the same angle but the curveball has a significant break and glove-side movement too. This is definitely significant and noticeable in the game.

Fastball vs Cutter

The cutter's velocity is closer to the fastball but it has more of an glove-side break. The pitch is accurate but it is definitely harder to notice the difference.

After these simulations I concluded that the math and the data for the pitches was correct. Some pitches were too similar though so I went from 10 pitch types to 6 pitch types:

• Fastball
• Cutter
• Sinker
• Slider
• Curveball
• Changeup

Displaying Pitch Types

Since some pitches were still nuanced, even the breaking pitches can have limited break depending on their location, I thought it was important to give the player more information about the pitch types.

With Pitch Preview

While the pitch location is being previewed, the type of pitch is shown. Since this is short-lived and isn't shown on the last pitch of an at-bat, I also added an info-box to share more pitch details.

Pitch Details

After every pitch, this box shows up that tells you the full pitch type and pitch velocity. Additionally, it tells you about your call and your streak (which wasn't shown anywhere else before).

Other Changes

• Player challenges are less likely to happen to back-to-back. Their overall chances are the same but just reduced the chances of a lot happening in quick succession. If you make blatantly wrong calls, they still happen at the same frequency though!

Gameplay/Playthrough Video

Let me know what you think about the pitch types by commenting on the main page!