January 8, 2009March 3, 2009

And your MLB 09 The Show cover athlete is…

Hey there MLB fans,

We wanted to follow up our recent announcement of MLB 09 The Show with a note to introduce the newest cover athlete for the game. This year’s spokesperson is Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. He’s the latest star athlete to grace the cover of our MLB franchise following in the footsteps of his teammate David Ortiz as well as recent players such as David Wright of the NY Mets, and Ryan Howard of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Not only is Pedroia a Gold Glove second baseman and 2008 AL MVP, his work ethic, intensity, and overall game skills make him a perfect fit for our best-selling MLB game. We’re excited to have Pedroia become part of the SCEA baseball family and look forward to his participation in all facets of our campaign. In the meantime, please check out the sweet box art for MLB 09 The Show and we’ll check back in with more for you soon.

Comments are closed.

58 Comments

c-murph
January 8, 2009 at 6:16 am PST

1st and cool.
gewurztraminer
January 8, 2009 at 6:24 am PST

I wonder if there are other baseball teams not located on the East Coast?

Nah, that’s a silly idea.
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 11:43 am PST
  
  Not a fan of east coast teams huh? Well… if you look at the lineage of the franchise: Pedroia 09, Howard 08, Ortiz 07, Papi 06, Vlad 05, Chavez 04, Green 03 and Bonds 02. Given the last 8 years we\’re looking at a 50/50 split east coast v west coast.
viprdude
January 8, 2009 at 6:32 am PST

awesome. when is the game set to launch?

and will it have voice support online??
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:05 pm PST
  
  Look for MLB 09 The Show to hit shelves that first week of March. And yes, it will have voice support online in-game.
Renck
January 8, 2009 at 6:48 am PST

Cool!
C-h-a-o-s
January 8, 2009 at 6:50 am PST

PSP version?
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm PST
  
  Absolutely. The Show goes on the road every season. Additionally, for those who haven\’t yet made the leap to PS3, the PS2 version is on the shelves for you as well.
MizzouStud
January 8, 2009 at 6:56 am PST

He’s such a cover model ;)
themule
January 8, 2009 at 6:57 am PST

The dirt on his uniform is a nice detail. Taken from a real game or produced in a studio, either way it gives the cover more realism and remarks Pedroia’s intensive play. Well done.
BrianC6234
January 8, 2009 at 6:58 am PST

Not my favorite cover. Yuck. Why not have someone from the Phillies? Most baseball fans are sick of the Red Sox and Yankees.
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:07 pm PST
  
  Phillies again huh? We just had Howard on there for you last season. You wanted a repeat?
ftwrthtx
January 8, 2009 at 7:08 am PST

Congrats again to Dustin Pedroia. The Woodland, Ca. native is really making a name for himself.
Charliesdad
January 8, 2009 at 7:08 am PST

@7 Maybe…but the cover is given to an individual…not a team and while you might think ‘most’ fans are ‘sick’ of the Red Sox and Yankees I think that more fans recognize individual Sox and Yankees players than Phillies players despite their series win. PS… GO SOX! FTW! :-)
amco_pirate
January 8, 2009 at 7:16 am PST

Sick of seeing anything sox or yanks. I’ll still buy the game though :(
Chrisrahosiris
January 8, 2009 at 7:20 am PST

Lol, as much as I hate the Red Sox, I cannot be angry with choosing Dustin as the cover athelete.
Dante989
January 8, 2009 at 7:24 am PST

im a Yankee fan, BUT he did such an amazing job in 2008… he definitely deserves it.
THATPSPGUY
January 8, 2009 at 7:25 am PST

Wow he looks just like my friend Cecil. He’s a good guy too so I bet this game will be.

Side note: when’s the socom update coming?
Dante989
January 8, 2009 at 7:25 am PST

@ 7…Brian… MLB 08 had Ryan Howard. They aren’t going to use the same team back to back years.
happy_spud
January 8, 2009 at 7:43 am PST

He looks like he’s straining.
pudgenet
January 8, 2009 at 7:43 am PST

Awesome. Love ya, Lil’ Dusty!
YippyKiAy
January 8, 2009 at 7:49 am PST

Is their a demo on the way? If so, when?
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:08 pm PST
  
  Look for the d/l PS3 demo in Feb.
DG
January 8, 2009 at 8:06 am PST

Red Sox Nation!
sk8erdh36
January 8, 2009 at 8:23 am PST

Man I can’t wait for this game. Keep the info coming to keep us excited!
eisbrecher
January 8, 2009 at 8:46 am PST

Not a bad cover, but I’m with #2 on this one… variety is the spice of life after all.

I’m hoping for a Justin Morneau cover next year ;)
Atoms
January 8, 2009 at 9:03 am PST

The game is the best baseball game ever made. Go Dodgers!
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:12 pm PST
  
  On behalf of the dev team – thanks Atoms. Every year their goal is to one-up the previous year and deliver the most realistic baseball game ever made…
UNCyrus
January 8, 2009 at 9:34 am PST

Boooooo! Way to alienate all the loyal Yanks out there… Boo Sox
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:13 pm PST
  
  I guess that\’s a bit of a catch-22
Ghostm
January 8, 2009 at 10:00 am PST

This might be my first baseball game. I’m thinking about it. A few of my friends from Brooklyn are big into baseball. I might make an effort to buy this game if the online works well.
momba0014
January 8, 2009 at 10:15 am PST

nooooo!!!!!…Boston Sucks!!,still I might buy this,im just gonna have to rip off the cover and replace it with anything else.
Baked
January 8, 2009 at 10:54 am PST

That cover is weak! I’m still gonna buy this game, but I’ll tape a Tim Lincecum baseball card on the cover.
SalMoriarty
January 8, 2009 at 10:57 am PST

Sun Devils represent!
acerazer1
January 8, 2009 at 11:10 am PST

Yeah, I’m a Yankees fan, but I like to see small market stars make the covers. Ya know, someone from other than the Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees. That’s all we ever get. Maybe next year consider putting on Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, or Dan Haren. Those guys work just as hard, and have just as much talent, but don’t get any publicity because of where they play.
- tmack
  January 8, 2009 at 12:20 pm PST
  
  Like where you\’re going with this and you call out some solid players. But with Pedroia this year – aside form being a dedicated, hard working, scrappy ball player – he\’s just the third player in history to be named Rookie of the Year in one season and MVP in the next. Know the other two?
Seraphim
January 8, 2009 at 11:48 am PST

can we have the baseball placeholder cover back? Ortiz, Wright, Howard, and now this? Does someone over at SCEA suck on RedSox n…s? What gives? I do give you guys props for putting Wright and Howard on the cover but you do realize there’s more than Boston, Mets, Phillies, and Boston in the MLB right? Like the other team in New York. Or how about maybe trying to move Sout, Midwest, or West for a cover athlete. :P Oh well, guess I’ll keep playing MLB 08 this year. :P There’s just some sports games I refuse to buy when a cover athlete is a Red Sox, or Avalanche player.
Toast
January 8, 2009 at 12:35 pm PST

no love for the loveable losers eh ;)

well I can’t complain, Even if you hate the red sox, you have to have a tremendous amount of respect for Dustin.

Can’t wait til march! MLB 08 was the best baseball game i’ve played to date and I can’t wait to play 09 and end the 100 year curse!
JohnnyMoses
January 8, 2009 at 12:40 pm PST

I’m buying it just to support the red sox decision. Trophy support???
CrashSpyro
January 8, 2009 at 12:45 pm PST

MLB 08 was the best sports game last year and I think 09 has a good shot at a repeat.
mountain_duwe
January 8, 2009 at 1:16 pm PST

I’m a Yankee fan and I hate the Red Sox more than anything, but I respect Pedroia as a ballplayer. I agree with the above poster that it would be nice to see some smaller market guys on the cover, like Hanley Ramirez or Roy Halladay or Evan Longoria or Justin Morneau.
NewYork214
January 8, 2009 at 1:53 pm PST

boooo red sox. i dont know if i can buy this game now. maybe i can print out my old favorite Paul O’neill and slide him over that disgusting red sox picture

lucky this is the best baseball series ever lol
Garthvaderson
January 8, 2009 at 2:49 pm PST

Pedroia is alright. But to everyone complaining about it. Whom would you have put there? Someone from the Pirates? That is can anyone name someone on the Pirates?
SpiderBoy36
January 8, 2009 at 3:06 pm PST

Pssh, Pedroia pales in comparison to world champions Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.
EnigmaNemesis
January 8, 2009 at 3:35 pm PST

Well deserving of the cover. Just the third player in history to win RotY and MVP the very next year.

He is scrappy, and plays the game right. Just so fitting.

And I can not wait to play the best baseball series of all time. ’09 is going to be amazing. Keep up the good work dev team. Fan for life here.
TheTwelve
January 8, 2009 at 3:39 pm PST

I can’t stand the Red Sox, as a Mets and Yankees fan, but the man can play, is honorable, and is a scrapper. I wish I had him on the Mets.

12
viprdude
January 8, 2009 at 4:10 pm PST

what a waste of money the entire new york yankees organization is.
ARog34
January 8, 2009 at 4:17 pm PST

I’m really hoping the ‘Cubbies’ can finish strong unlike last year… and other previous years… BUT the team is looking strong in ’09.

I’d hope they’re one of the best teams in this installment of MLB: The Show?
bjscott05
January 8, 2009 at 4:57 pm PST

any chance you could post a wallpaper version of the cover. widescreen would be good.
JoE 15
January 8, 2009 at 5:00 pm PST

Man I hate the Red Sox, but hey, this game is still going to be awesome. Go Rangers!
gewurztraminer
January 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm PST

“a 50/50 split east coast v west coast”

Middle America doesn’t exist?
mike223
January 8, 2009 at 7:54 pm PST

Will we be able to choose our own uniforms in franchise and season mode? i”m an Expos fan and I have to restart the ps3 20 times to get a team with the Expos uniform. mostly I give up and end up playing with the Nationals and having lost our beloved Expos to Washington the contradiction is eerie. Please HELP.
stallyon84
January 9, 2009 at 2:16 am PST

@ 28 and 43

EXACTLY!!!!! How about giving the midwest some love. I’m so sick of the costal markets and their superiority over the central area just because of media control. How about a player from the midwest. Cardinals perhaps???? I’m Sick and tired of Yanks and BO sox along with THE REST OF THE WORLD!

@40

Keep dreaming bud the cubs wont win because they are a losing orginaztion and losing teams dont know how to win.

example the cubs losing 6 straight games in two straight years of playoffs.
cLOLe
January 9, 2009 at 11:04 am PST

Hopefully you’re still responding to comments.

You mentioned 09 will have voice chat, I’m curious about a couple of things.

1: let’s face it, the voice quality in 08 was pretty terrible. Will this be improved for 09?

2: will there be a better… system? Using L3 produced so many problems. I know playing with my friends, I just pushed it once at the beginning of a game and left it on. But we’d accidentally hit it throughout the game. Will there be some kind of actual push to talk (hold down the key style), or will there be just “always on”?

3: I’ve noticed lag playing online, especially when playing in stadiums with a lot of background animations (fans waving and the like), and with runners on base, my friends and I have settled for playing on Spring Training or Minor League fields just to reduce this lag, will this be improved?

I love MLB 08, I’ve played ungodly amounts of hours. I already have my copy of MLB 09 preordered. I can’t wait to have it. Hopefully you can answer my questions!

Thanks in advance!
DudeFX
January 9, 2009 at 11:28 am PST

I wanted Eli Manning on Madden 09, but we got Farve lol Never going to make everyone happy with the guy they pick, but I’m surprised they don’t do multiple covers or limited editions. Like GameStop exclusive cover of one player and then a normal retail cover of another, etc. Sure it wouldn’t help everyone but choice is always good.
yankeesricardo
January 10, 2009 at 2:48 pm PST

is there going to be downloadable rosters to keep up to date and if so every wut so often?
cLOLe
January 10, 2009 at 2:56 pm PST

The MLB series automatically updates once a week every time you go online.
DALEH98
January 11, 2009 at 10:09 am PST

I LOVE MLB THE SHOWS BY FAR BEST BASEBALL GAME OUT THEIR ON ANY SYSTEM. BUT THE ONLY THING I DON’T LIKE IS HOW EARLY IT GETS RELEASED I THINK THEY SHOULD WAIT UNTIL ALL THE ROSTERS ON EVERY TEAM IS RELEASED BEFORE THE MAKE THE GAME SO IT COULD KEEP UP WITH THE MLB ROSTERS BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN THE GAME IS RELEASED SOME PLAYERS THAT LEFT ONE TEAM TO ANOTHER ARE STILL ON THE SAME TEAM THEY LEFT THAT’S BULL CRAB. THEY SHOULD WAIT UNTIL MLB RELEASE’S THE NEW ROSTERS PERIOD THEN BRING THE GAME OUT.