Controlling the run game may be one of the most overlooked parts of not only MLB The Show, but baseball in general. It's the little things that keep good runners stationary, and some of the most basic things you may not be doing could be hurting your chances to mow down a runner at second. So I went to the lab, tested some methods myself, then asked the developers in order to bring to you my guide where we tell our opponents:
PICK OFF ATTEMPTS
L2+Double Tap is the casual move.
L2+Hold is the Deceptive move
L2+Tap is the Quick move
Many don't use pick off attempts because they only see the risk (throwing the ball into the stands). What you need to know is this: A pick off attempt affects the runner for the rest of the at bat. On a preloaded steal attempt (by either the CPU or User) the chance for a Good to Great "jump" (how quickly the runner gets into his running animation) is directly affected by a pick off attempt. There is still the chance your pitcher throws the ball away (determined by the type of move used and the pitcher's Arm Accuracy rating), but the reward of a runner being thrown out on a bad jump is immensely important.
SLIDE STEP
Achieved by holding R2 while pushing X to begin your pitch to the plate.
Again we are talking risk/reward. The risk: Your pitch will have less accuracy, less break, and less velocity. The reward: You get a shorter stride to the plate, giving your catcher more time to throw the runner out. Especially important for pitchers with high leg kicks and/or slow stretch motions to the plate (yes, it's just like real life: you CAN time pitcher's strides to the plate in MLB The Show)
PITCH OUT
You can use L1+X when selecting a pitch to select a pitch out.
This is good when you know a runner is going, but if you're wrong you will have just wasted a ball at the plate. Great in 0-1 and 1-1 counts.
PITCHING CADENCE (PRO TIP)
Here is my Number One tip to controlling the run game, either User or CPU. If you come to a set position and throw the pitch immediately every time then people stealing on you is completely your fault. Vary the length of time you are in the set position every time. Even count to yourself if necessary. This will not only throw off users who manually steal against you, THIS DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE CPU AND USER "JUMP" AND PICK OFF SUCCESS, especially with baserunners with high Steal ratings. I have confirmed this with a gameplay dev at SCEA recently, and can't stress this enough. This practice is what separates holding a decent runner to first from stranding a Jose Reyes type.
These 4 tips should have you keeping baserunners from running all over you in no time!
PICK OFF ATTEMPTS
L2+Double Tap is the casual move.
L2+Hold is the Deceptive move
L2+Tap is the Quick move
Many don't use pick off attempts because they only see the risk (throwing the ball into the stands). What you need to know is this: A pick off attempt affects the runner for the rest of the at bat. On a preloaded steal attempt (by either the CPU or User) the chance for a Good to Great "jump" (how quickly the runner gets into his running animation) is directly affected by a pick off attempt. There is still the chance your pitcher throws the ball away (determined by the type of move used and the pitcher's Arm Accuracy rating), but the reward of a runner being thrown out on a bad jump is immensely important.
SLIDE STEP
Achieved by holding R2 while pushing X to begin your pitch to the plate.
Again we are talking risk/reward. The risk: Your pitch will have less accuracy, less break, and less velocity. The reward: You get a shorter stride to the plate, giving your catcher more time to throw the runner out. Especially important for pitchers with high leg kicks and/or slow stretch motions to the plate (yes, it's just like real life: you CAN time pitcher's strides to the plate in MLB The Show)
PITCH OUT
You can use L1+X when selecting a pitch to select a pitch out.
This is good when you know a runner is going, but if you're wrong you will have just wasted a ball at the plate. Great in 0-1 and 1-1 counts.
PITCHING CADENCE (PRO TIP)
Here is my Number One tip to controlling the run game, either User or CPU. If you come to a set position and throw the pitch immediately every time then people stealing on you is completely your fault. Vary the length of time you are in the set position every time. Even count to yourself if necessary. This will not only throw off users who manually steal against you, THIS DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE CPU AND USER "JUMP" AND PICK OFF SUCCESS, especially with baserunners with high Steal ratings. I have confirmed this with a gameplay dev at SCEA recently, and can't stress this enough. This practice is what separates holding a decent runner to first from stranding a Jose Reyes type.
These 4 tips should have you keeping baserunners from running all over you in no time!
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