The Major League Baseball video game “MLB The Show” is introducing women players in its 2024 edition of the game even though professional women’s baseball doesn’t exist.
For the first time, gamers will be able to create and play with a woman baseball player in the “Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way” game mode. The “Road to the Show” game mode, which has been a staple of “The Show” throughout the years, allows users to customize a player and play through an MLB career.
Mollie Braley, a narrative designer, for “MLB The Show” told PlayStation.Blog that the game’s new feature allowing people to play as women “was inspired by the stories of women in baseball.”
“Throughout history, women have been making waves in the sport,” Braley added. “These include legends such as Toni Stone, who was one of the first women ever to play professional baseball, and has a new Storyline in MLB The Show 24. Our team wanted to create something where dreams become a reality, and we felt like adding this to Road to the Show was the perfect opportunity that gave our players the option to experience this.”
MLB The Show announced a new game mode in Road to the Show called Women Pave Their Way.
For the first time ever, players can create and play as a female player 👏 @MLBTheShow pic.twitter.com/aMfX9gfzlC
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 5, 2024
Stone played baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns, a Negro League team, in 1953, becoming the first woman to play for a professional baseball team, according to The New York Times. The female baseball player joined three other teams in the Negro League before retiring from the sport just a year later.
While women play for the USA Baseball national team, which participates in world tournaments over the summer, there are no professional or collegiate women’s baseball teams. Women also play fastpitch softball at the college and professional levels, but even professional softball differs greatly from Major League Baseball in numerous ways from the size of the ball to the distance between bases.
“MLB The Show’s” move to add women into the game comes after other sports video games, such as NBA 2K and FIFA, have allowed gamers to play with women’s teams in recent years.
“This new gameplay experience is a unique pivot in the baseball world that will encourage, inspire, and motivate individuals to chase their dreams,” said Kelsie Whitmore, who plays on the Women’s USA Baseball National Team.
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“To me, this project is a great opportunity for the world to be informed of women who play baseball and that taking their skills to the next level is possible. My hopes for this project is to educate others that women/girls do play baseball and that they are capable of competing in this game at every level,” Whitmore added.
“MLB The Show 24” will be released to the public on March 19.