MLB Pitch Tipping Has Gotten Even More Advanced, And It's Affecting The Playoffs

There's a hidden game going on in Major League Baseball these days. And it's already made a difference in the outcome of at least one MLB playoff game. 

An article from The Athletic looked at the importance and rapid proliferation of teams researching opposing pitchers to look for potential tells and pitch tipping. "They’re not just finding it in the game," Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert told them. "They’re finding it before you even go on the mound."

"It’s usually never something that big, honestly," said Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. "It’s usually something you’re like, ‘How could they even see that?’ A lot of times it’s at an angle where you’re like, ‘Well, they’re not ever going to see that angle.’ But someone might."

The teams most effective at doing this? A bunch of playoff teams. The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies were referenced by players as being the best at picking up clues. The Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers were also mentioned.

And the Dodgers might have used it to help them win a pivotal game one against the Phillies.

PHILADELPHIA - Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning during game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 4, 2025. Photo: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Pitch Tipping Sophistication Keeps Growing

Several observant baseball fans on social media seemingly picked up on the Dodgers relaying signs from second base during a huge at-bat against reliever Matt Strahm. With Teoscar Hernandez up, Andy Pages seemed to signal towards home. 

Hernandez then launched a massive, three-run homer to right center field to give the Dodgers a 5-3 lead in the 7th inning.

Strahm, later on, took to social media to say he hadn't tipped his pitches, that Pages might have been bluffing. But pitchers, coaches, and players have all openly worried about this exact scenario. Even if Pages didn't have Strahm's pitches figured out, the very obvious signaling could have been a distraction.

Some players have talked openly about the importance of trying to "create paranoia" about tipping.

You’re just trying to create paranoia," San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey said earlier this year. "I think any chance to get the attention of a guy making pitches, it’s definitely an advantage."

Per their reporting, camera systems like KinaTrax are used by teams to decipher tipping through motion-capture. Some teams then employ analysts to comb through the data and find those tips. 

"We have people whose job it is to figure out tips on other pitchers and present that to players who want to be presented with that," said Case Mize of the Detroit Tigers. 

Some pitchers, hoping to combat tipping, have purposefully tried to throw the opposition off the scent by altering their routines. 

The Dodgers are on to the NLCS against either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers. Either team better make sure they're not giving too much away, or they could see a repeat of that Hernandez home run.