# MLB: The Show

MLB: The Show is a baseball video game series created and developed by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series has received critical and commercial acclaim, and since 2014 has been the sole Major League Baseball simulation video game on the market for consoles.
The series debuted in 2006 with MLB 06: The Show for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, following the MLB series from 989 Sports. There has been a new release in the series every year since 2006.
The series was released on PlayStation 2 from 2006's MLB 06: The Show through 2011's MLB 11: The Show and was available on the PlayStation 3 from MLB 07: The Show through MLB The Show 16. Portable versions of the series for either the PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita accompanied every entry from MLB 06: The Show through MLB 15: The Show. The series started releasing on the PlayStation 4 with MLB 14: The Show.
After over two decades of exclusivity with PlayStation consoles, MLB: The Show ceased to be released only on PlayStation, and started to be released on other consoles by MLB Advanced Media, though the edition of the game at the time—MLB The Show 20—was a PlayStation 4 exclusive. MLB The Show 21 is the first title in the series to feature on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S; MLB The Show 22 is the first game of the series to be on a Nintendo console, released on the Nintendo Switch.

## Gameplay

Gameplay simulates a game of professional baseball, with the player controlling an entire team, a team's manager, or a select player. The player may take control of one of 30 Major League Baseball teams in any game mode and also is able to chose from 6 special team including NL and AL all star teams. (excluding Road to the Show) and use that team in gameplay. The Series has variable game modes in which a player takes control of a team for a single game, one season, or a franchise (multiple seasons).

## Predecessors from 989 Sports

| Game | Release date | Cover Athlete | Cover Athlete | Platforms |
| Game | Release date | Star | Team | Platforms |
| MLB Pennant Race | October 14, 1996 | David Justice | Atlanta Braves | PlayStation |
| MLB '98 | July 1, 1997 | Bernie Williams | New York Yankees | PlayStation |
| MLB '99 | March 31, 1998 | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | PlayStation |
| MLB 2000 | February 28, 1999 | Mo Vaughn | Anaheim Angels | PlayStation |
| MLB 2001 | February 29, 2000 | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | PlayStation |
| MLB 2002 | May 7, 2001 | Andruw Jones | Atlanta Braves | PlayStation |
| MLB 2003 | June 17, 2002 | Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | PlayStation |
| MLB 2004 | April 30, 2003 | Shawn Green | Los Angeles Dodgers | PlayStation, PlayStation 2 |
| MLB 2005 | March 4, 2004 | Eric Chavez | Oakland Athletics | PlayStation, PlayStation 2 |
| MLB 2006 | March 8, 2005 | Vladimir Guerrero Sr. | Los Angeles Angels | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |

## Games

| Game | Release date | Cover Athlete | Cover Athlete | Platforms |
| Game | Release date | Star | Team | Platforms |
| MLB 06: The Show | February 28, 2006 | David Ortiz | Boston Red Sox | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 07: The Show | February 27, 2007 (PS2/PSP) | David Wright | New York Mets | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 07: The Show | May 15, 2007 (PS3) | David Wright | New York Mets | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 08: The Show | March 4, 2008 | Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 09: The Show | March 3, 2009 | Dustin Pedroia | Boston Red Sox | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 10: The Show | March 2, 2010 | Joe Mauer | Minnesota Twins | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 11: The Show | March 8, 2011 | Joe Mauer | Minnesota Twins | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| MLB 12: The Show | March 6, 2012 | Adrián González | Boston Red Sox | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita |
| MLB 13: The Show | March 5, 2013 | Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita |
| MLB 14: The Show | April 1, 2014 (PS3/Vita) | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita |
| MLB 14: The Show | May 6, 2014 (PS4) | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita |
| MLB 15: The Show | March 31, 2015 | Yasiel Puig | Los Angeles Dodgers | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita |
| MLB The Show 16 | March 29, 2016 | Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 |
| MLB The Show 17 | March 28, 2017 | Ken Griffey Jr. | Seattle Mariners | PlayStation 4 |
| MLB The Show 18 | March 27, 2018 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | PlayStation 4 |
| MLB The Show 19 | March 26, 2019 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | PlayStation 4 |
| MLB The Show 20 | March 17, 2020 | Javier Báez | Chicago Cubs | PlayStation 4 |
| MLB The Show 21 | April 20, 2021 | Fernando Tatís Jr. | San Diego Padres | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| MLB The Show 22 | April 5, 2022 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| MLB The Show 23 | March 28, 2023 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | Miami Marlins | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| MLB The Show 24 | March 19, 2024 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| MLB The Show 25 | March 18, 2025 | Paul Skenes Elly De La Cruz Gunnar Henderson | Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Reds Baltimore Orioles | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |

### Special Edition Covers

| Game | Star | Team |
| MLB The Show 21 | Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| MLB The Show 22 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels |
| MLB The Show 23 | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |

### International Covers

Canada :
| Game | Star | Team |
| MLB 12: The Show | José Bautista | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB 13: The Show | José Bautista | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB 14: The Show | Brett Lawrie | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB 15: The Show | Russell Martin | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB The Show 16 | Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB The Show 17 | Aaron Sanchez | Toronto Blue Jays |
| MLB The Show 18 | Marcus Stroman | Toronto Blue Jays |
Korea :
| Game | Star | Team |
| MLB 06: The Show | Chan Ho Park | San Diego Padres |
| MLB 14: The Show | Shin-Soo Choo | Texas Rangers |
| MLB 15: The Show | Shin-Soo Choo | Texas Rangers |
| MLB The Show 16 | Jung-ho Kang | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| MLB The Show 17 | Hyun-soo Kim | Baltimore Orioles |
Taiwan :
| Game | Star | Team |
| MLB 13: The Show | Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLB 14: The Show | Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLB 15: The Show | Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles |
| MLB The Show 16 | Wei-Yin Chen | Miami Marlins |
| MLB The Show 17 | Wei-Yin Chen | Miami Marlins |

## Commentators

| Commentator | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Total appearances |
| Matt Vasgersian | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | 16 |
| Dave Campbell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 7 |
| Rex Hudler | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 6 |
| Eric Karros | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 6 |
| Steve Lyons | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 4 |
| Harold Reynolds | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | 1 |
| Dan Plesac | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | 5 |
| Mark DeRosa | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | 4 |
| Heidi Watney | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | 3 |
| Jon Sciambi | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | 3 |
| Chris Singleton | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | 3 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

## Reception and sales

| Year | Game | Sales |
| 1997 | MLB '98 | |
| 1998 | MLB '99 | 2.52 million |
| 1999 | MLB 2000 | |
| 2000 | MLB 2001 | |
| 2001 | MLB 2002 | |
| 2002 | MLB 2003 | |
| 2003 | MLB 2004 | 660,000 |
| 2004 | MLB 2005 | 900,000 |
| 2005 | MLB 2006 | 400,000 |
| 2006 | MLB 06: The Show | 940,000 (PS2), 350,000 (PSP) |
| 2007 | MLB 07: The Show | 930,000 (PS2), 280,000 (PS3), 280,000 (PSP) |
| 2008 | MLB 08: The Show | 420,000 (PS2), 700,000 (PS3), 330,000 (PSP) |
| 2009 | MLB 09: The Show | 330,000 (PS2), 720,000 (PS3), 270,000 (PSP) |
| 2010 | MLB 10: The Show | 410,000 (PS2), 730,000 (PS3), 210,000 (PSP) |
| 2011 | MLB 11: The Show | 130,000 (PS2), 590,000 (PS3), 180,000 (PSP) |
| 2012 | MLB 12: The Show | 930,000 (PS3), 200,000 (PSV) |
| 2013 | MLB 13: The Show | 840,000 (PS3), 150,000 (PSV) |
| 2014 | MLB 14: The Show | 430,000 (PS3), 730,000 (PS4), 120,000 (PSV) |
| 2015 | MLB 15: The Show | 400,000 (PS3), 1.01 million (PS4), 40,000 (PSV) |
| 2016 | MLB The Show 16 | 380,000 (PS3), 960,000 (PS4) |
| 2017 | MLB The Show 17 | 1.16 million |
| 2018 | MLB The Show 18 | 1.06 million |
| 2019 | MLB The Show 19 | 2.52 million |
| 2020 | MLB The Show 20 | |
| 2021 | MLB The Show 21 | 2 million |
| 2022 | MLB The Show 22 | |
| 2023 | MLB The Show 23 | |
| 2024 | MLB The Show 24 | |