The face buttons map to the baseball diamond; the left bumper throws to the cutoff player, while the right bumper jumps and right trigger dives.

MLB The Show 26 maps throwing controls to the baseball diamond: the right face button throws to first, top to second, left to third, and bottom to home. Hold the left bumper for the relay or cutoff player; use the right bumper to jump and the right trigger to dive.
Base-throw controls
| Action | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S | Nintendo Switch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throw home | X | A | B |
| Throw to first | Circle | B | A |
| Throw to second | Triangle | Y | X |
| Throw to third | Square | X | Y |
| Throw to relay/cutoff | Hold L1 | Hold LB | Hold L |
| Jump | R1 or right stick up | RB or right stick up | R or right stick up |
| Dive | R2 or right stick down | RT or right stick down | ZR or right stick down |
The spatial layout is easier to remember than the glyph names: bottom is home, right is first, top is second, and left is third.
Button Accuracy, Analog, and Buttons
Button Accuracy asks the player to hold the destination button and release within the green accuracy region. The official manual says that region scales with throw distance and the fielder's Arm Accuracy attribute.
Analog uses right-stick direction for the base throw. The frequency of an accurate throw depends on Arm Accuracy rather than a visible button-release meter.
Buttons uses the face buttons without the Button Accuracy release meter. The manual again ties accurate-throw frequency to the fielder's Arm Accuracy attribute.
If a throw behaves differently from the table, check the active fielding interface before assuming the controller is broken. The destination stays spatially consistent, but Button Accuracy, Analog, and Buttons judge the throw differently.
Jump, dive, and home-run attempts
The verified jump input is the right bumper or right stick up; dive is the right trigger or right stick down. Those are the actions used at walls and on balls outside normal reach.
The official controls page does not publish one universal “press at this exact marker” rule for robbing a home run. Stadium wall shape, fielder position, animation, and the active play can change the attempt. A trustworthy timing guide would require repeatable current-game testing; this page supplies the verified input and keeps that boundary explicit.
For what happens after a hit gets through, use the baserunning and slide controls. For batting inputs, use the hitting interface and bunt guide.
Sources
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions players ask next
How do you throw to the cutoff player in MLB The Show 26?
Hold the left bumper—L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or L on Nintendo Switch.
How do you jump or dive in the field?
The official Button Accuracy table uses the right bumper to jump and the right trigger to dive. It also lists right-stick up for jump and right-stick down for dive as alternatives.
Which button throws to each base?
The face buttons follow the diamond—right button to first, top to second, left to third, and bottom to home.
Does the official manual give a guaranteed home-run robbery timing window?
No. It confirms the jump input, but not one universal wall-jump timing formula. This page does not invent one.
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Missing an answer—or found something outdated?
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