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For the 3rd straight year MLB The Show will not have Y2Y saves and thus will not have what I consider a very underappreciated franchise feature, story telling thru gameplay.
Confused? Let me explain.
MLB The Show does one of the best, if not the best, job of simulating its respective sport on the field of play. The gameplay in The Show series has been a staple of the series for years and seemingly gets better with each new installment. And due to it being so good, playing games within franchise mode allowed me to see events play out "in real time" and not just printed text on a screen.
Now I know people are thinking, well you can still play the games, so you're getting the story telling aspect, which is true. But what I'm missing is seeing stories play out over of the course of several seasons. And when I say several, I don't mean 2 or 3, I'm talking 7, 8, or more.
With MLB '14 SDS released the greatest feature I never knew I wanted, or needed, with Y2Y saves. And it wasn't until MLB '16 that I actually took advantage of this feature, and over the course of the next 5 installments of MLB The Show, I would get thru 13 seasons in one franchise. And it was glorious!
The stories that played out over those 13 seasons, I still vividly remember. Like the Yankees never making the playoffs
(sorry Yankee fans) to the drafting of a player named Juan Fabregas, who was switch hitting outfielder who wasn't the best in the field, had a noodle arm, but could hit. He was a C potential that eventually made it to B, and went from a late round draft pick to an All-Star and contender for the National League MVP in the span of 8 seasons. I watched as the Marlins went from bottom feeders to World Series Champions and a "rival' of my Cardinals for 3 years as we battled in the playoffs, twice in the NLCS with us each winning once. I watched players hit their 500th homeruns, earn their 1000th strikeout, and watched as rookies climbed the ranks from the stars of tomorrow to becoming the stars of today.And all of this unfolded one game at a time, one pitch at a time over 13 glorious 162 game seasons, plus Spring Training, All-Star Games, and playoffs. Each game told a story that would be continued the next day. Each season told a story that would continue the next year. Each draft started the beginning of All-Star caliber career, and dare I say Hall of Fame career that would play out over time.
And now, all of that is gone, or at least extremely condensed. Its hard to watch stories unfold and enjoy the story telling when you know that at some point its going to end, unless of course you choose to stick with the current version. And while that is an option, I remember a time when it wasn't an either/or option. I could benefit from the newest updates and features all while continuing the stories being told on the field.
It was never a marketed feature of Y2Y saves, but it sure as hell was a feature... story telling thru gameplay. One pitch, one out, one inning, one game, one season at a time.

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