MLB 09: The Show

Did You Know?

• The PlayStation 3 version received universal acclaim on Metacritic, while the PlayStation 2 and PSP versions received generally favorable reviews.
• During the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated MLB 09: The Show for Sports Game of the Year.

Gameplay

MLB 09: The Show builds on its predecessor with several new features. The Road to the Show mode, now version 3.0, introduces a steal and lead-off system and gives players more interactions with their coaches. Franchise mode, updated to 2.0, adds salary arbitration, waiver transactions, September call-ups, and the 40-man roster. Online league play has been improved, letting players schedule out-of-order games, create custom rosters, and share them online. Custom chants can also be made.

In-game changes include more dynamic animations and reactions, better bare-handed flips, and Progressive Batting Performance, where a player's abilities improve or decline based on their performance. Multi-Branch Fielding gives players full control over fielders and lets them break out of any animation. Adaptive Pitching Intelligence allows catchers to call games based on each pitcher's strengths and weaknesses and analyze batter tendencies. The Pitch Command System affects a pitcher's ability to throw a specific pitch depending on how often it is used.

The game includes pitch analysis, showing a breakdown of all pitches thrown during a game, and a similar batter analysis feature. SportsConnect Online User Tracking, or SCOUT, lets players set game preferences, store them on a server, and find a Quick Match opponent that matches their criteria. Live MLB updates are available in-game, along with SportsConnect Headline News. Weekly roster updates can also be downloaded through SportsConnect.